The Searcher
by Unicorn Lady
Summary: Sarah and Jareth are destined to be together, but they don't know that their child will play a vital role on the survival of the Underground...
1. Living the fairy tale

**A/N: ** Well, I decided to finally post this story. It was my first attempt at fan fiction, and I never thought good enough to post. A friend of mine read it, and threatened me if I didn't post it (You know who you are, M.). This is the first part, I realized after re-reading it that it was the basis for a story that I posted a long time ago, but is not a Labyrinth fiction, is Harry Potter. How do they relate one with the other? If you want to read the Sequel, Is Harry Potter and the False Ghost. If not, stay with the pre-quel, which will be Labyrinth pretty much until the end. The title does not make sense now, but it will be as the story progresses. Please be gentle. 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. I only own Mrs. Robinson, Carrie and Charlie. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. As the World Falls Down belongs to the great David Bowie. 

And now, the story.   


  


**The Searcher**

  
  
  


**Part 1**   


_"…Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me!_

_The Goblin King looked at young Sarah with regret in his eyes, and he suddenly was transformed into a white owl._

_Sarah noticed that she was in her living room, and went upstairs to find her brother safe in his crib._

_For Sarah had won and vanished the Goblin King. The End."_

"Wow, that was a great story, Miss Williams" said a little blond girl. 

"Thank you, Brittany" said Sarah. 

The kids were leaving the story room with their parents, and she started to straighten the room *Yeah, Sarah wan, but did she, really?* she thought bitterly, and pushed away that thought into the depths of her mind. 

It had been what, 14 years?, since she saw him last. She was a 30 year-old librarian, entertaining kids at story time. 

She did not know what impulse came over her to tell that story today, with a little bit of sadness. She had not thought of the labyrinth, or the underground for years, until couple months ago. 

_"Sarah, we finally decided on the theme for the Fund Raising Gala. It will be fairy tales. Who are you going as, and from what book?"_

_ Sarah turned around to face Mrs. Robinson, the head librarian, with a puzzled look on her face "Going as?"_

_Mrs. Robinson smiled and said "Oh, I forgot to tell you, all employees are going to be dressed up as characters from a book, and to make sure no one repeats, I'm making a list. So, do you know who you want to be?"_

_Without even thinking, she said "I will go as Sarah, from The Labyrinth." As soon as the words came out of her mouth she thought *Did I just say that?*_

_"Excellent! Uh, dear, are you going to have a date go with you?"_

_"I don't think so, why?"_

_"The gentlemen donating the local insisted to go as the Goblin King, from the same book. Just checking, so we don't have 2 goblin kings in our party."_

_"Where is the Gala going to be?"_

_"Remember the old Drayer Manor? Seems that some realty company bought it and renewed it. They are going to use it as a social club, and they thought that it would be good PR if their first event was for a non-profit organization. So we got first dibs to use the manor. Isn't it wonderful? We decided to use the theme of fairy tales, since the manor looks like a fairy tale castle, anyway. Well, got to go, I need to check with the rest. Bye!"_

_"Bye!" Sarah said, automatically. *Oh, well, what's said is said.* gasping at her thoughts. *Where that thought came from?* shaking her head, she dismissed her thoughts, and continued cataloguing the new books._

"Sarah? Earth to Sarah!" Sarah snapped back to the present with a jolt and saw a hand waving in front of her eyes. 

She turned around to find her friend Carrie, at the end of the hand "Come on, Sarah. We are going to be late, we are supposed to pick up the costumes today, remember?" 

Sarah suddenly remembered "I completely forgot! Let me grab my purse and we'll go." 

Sarah parked her car in front of the costume rental store. Carrie got out first, running to the store, to make sure they did not close. As soon as Sarah entered, she saw Carrie with a pale blue dress in her hands. 

"Well, what do you think? Is this a great Cinderella dress or what? Oh, and this is Charlie's costume" pointing to a prince charming costume, evidently for her boyfriend of 2 years, another librarian. 

Sarah sighed and said "It's perfect. Now let's look for mine." She had gone to the store once or twice looking for a costume, and could not find anything she liked, like today. 

Carrie asked, "Your character does not wear a dress, so what are you going to use?" 

"I don't know. There's nothing here that looks like it" replied Sarah, stopping in mid-sentence. "I might have something at home, that I can use, I think. Come on, pay, and let's go." 

Carrie paid for the rentals, and after putting the costumes in the back of the car, they arrived at Sarah's house. Sarah's father had been promoted recently after her ordeal and they had promptly moved to a bigger house. 

Six months ago, Sarah learned that her old house was on sale, and she decided to buy it. As Sarah opened the door to enter her house, she smiled internally. So many memories. Even sometimes she thought she could feel magic around the house. 

Carrie followed Sarah to one of the empty rooms upstairs in which she still had a lot of boxes from her move. 

"It's got to be here somewhere..." muttered Sarah. 

"What are we looking for?" asked Carrie. 

Sarah replied "There is a box with a big DO NOT OPEN sign in black marker. We are looking for that box." 

Carrie shrugged and started looking at boxes with her friend. They had been looking for 15 minutes, when Carrie saw a box with something written on it "Sarah, I think I found it!" 

Sarah went to her friends side, and looking at the box, she gave her a big smile and said, "Yep, that's the one!" 

Sarah took the box and motioned to Carrie to follow her out of the room and into her bedroom. Carrie always loved Sarah's bedroom. It always reminded her of a princess room from a fairy tale. Sarah put the box on top of her bed, and started opening the box. 

"I just hope is not damaged… is not!" she exclaimed with delight. 

Carrie saw that she took out an off-white dress, medieval style, followed by a crown of flowers. 

"That is a beautiful dress! You had it all the time?" Carrie said. 

Sarah answered "Yes, but now is the moment of truth, see if it still fits!" Both of them laughed at that comment. 

"I'm pretty sure it will, you still look like a twenty year-old. Remember about 6 months ago you were depressed because you were going to hit the big 3-0 and the guy in the bar asked you for an ID? He could not believe you were 29. That was funny, you trying to convince him that your ID was legit." Carrie said in the middle of laughter. 

"Well, what do you think?" asked Sarah. 

Carrie said, "It's perfect! Now, you only need to put on a pair of jeans under the dress, and you are set! I envy you, at least you get to wear something comfortable for the party." 

Sarah took off the dress and hanged it in her closet. She put her shirt back on and they went downstairs at the sound of a horn. 

Carrie looked outside and said, "That's Charlie!" 

The two friends went outside to change the costumes from Sarah's car to Charlie's. When they were done, Charlie said to Sarah, "Well, I guess we'll see you tonight at the Gala, right?" 

"I'll be there!" Sarah answered, and waived back to her friends. She went into the house, not noticing a white owl watching from a nearby tree. 

Sarah arrived at Drayer Manor and looking at her watch, she saw it was 7:45 PM. *Good, I still have fifteen more minutes* thought Sarah. 

She gave her car to the valet and entered. The place was beautiful! No descriptions could do justice to the mansion. It was decorated in a style that screamed antiquity, but no age in specific. 

She was looking for Mrs. Robinson when she heard "Sarah, my dear! You made it! You just have to see the ballroom, it is simply marvelous. Not to mention the gardens, now that was a surprise in itself. Come, I'll show you were everything is." 

She let herself be lead by Mrs. Robinson, who was dressed up as Cinderella's fairy godmother. 

They entered the hallway, which was filled with pedestals containing antique books encased in glass. Most of them were very well known fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel. But in the middle of all of them, stood an enormous book bound in red leather with a sign in Gold Letters on top: The Labyrinth. 

Sarah noticed that this book was very old, even more so than her own, and that the book was open. 

Before she could see what part was being displayed, Mrs. Robinson said, "Come, you have to see the ballroom." 

They came in through the enormous doors and she had a feeling of déja-vu. She knew it was familiar, but could not place why. 

"Isn't this grand? And wait until you see the gardens. Let's go to the balcony, I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised." Mrs. Robinson said, still leading Sarah across the Grand Hall to the doors that lead to the balcony and gardens. 

Sarah could not contain a gasp when she saw a giant hedge maze in the middle of the gardens. 

"I hope the ladies are satisfied with the place" said a rich, melodious voice with a British accent right behind them. 

*That voice…* thought Sarah, as she turned with Mrs. Robinson to the voice. 

Sarah was stunned, to say the least. Jareth was smiling, he had on the blue vest with the poet's blouse, tights and black boots from the ballroom dance all those years ago. 

*And still looks as good…* thought Sarah, quickly killing that train of thought. 

Mrs. Robinson said "Mr. King, I don't know how to thank you for your generosity, letting us use this place for our Fund Raiser Gala. May I present you one of our librarians, Miss Sarah Williams?" 

Jareth took Sarah's hand into one of his gloved ones, and saying "My dear Sarah, it's been a long time" took her hand and pressed it against his lips. 

Sarah responded "Hello, Jareth. It's been a long time indeed" in the most civilized tone possible. 

Mrs. Robinson looked at both of them with a puzzled look and asked "You two know each other?" 

Before Sarah could answer, Jareth said "Oh, yes. We met many years ago, but lost contact." 

Smiling, Mrs. Robinson said "In that case, I'll leave you alone, so you can catch up" winking at Sarah as she left the room. 

As soon as they were alone, Sarah said "What are you doing here?" 

Jareth tipped his head and answered "I'm just giving away a party. Nothing more, nothing less. Are you mad at me?" 

Sarah answered, "I should be, but I'm not. Strange, isn't it?" 

She let some giggles out that she could not contain. Jareth gave her a confused look and arching an eyebrow he asked "What?" 

Between breaths Sarah said "Mr. King? Now, that's original. I'm sorry, but it's funny." 

Seeing the look in Jareth's face, she sobered up and biting her lower lip said "You haven't changed at all." 

"But you have my dear Sarah. And I have to say, I do like the change" giving her a very intense gaze from her feet to her head, making her blush, and she said 

"Jareth, stop that! I thought that the last time we saw each other we agreed that we would remain friends." 

"Ah, yes, almost forgot" he answered back with a mocking grin, making her know that he was joking. 

After Sarah defeated Jareth in the Labyrinth, Sarah kept contact with her friends from the underground. Jareth knew this, so he coerced poor Hoggle to serve as a messenger between him and Sarah. 

Sarah was not stupid. She knew what she had lost when she defeated the Goblin King, but she could not have let Toby become a Goblin. 

When Sarah said that every now and again in her life she needed them, ALL of them, she was including Jareth in that statement, hoping to see him again. She was delighted that Jareth wanted permission to talk to her. 

He had confessed his love for her, and she told him that she might harvest the same feelings for him, but she wasn't sure, to give her time. She convinced him saying that she was still too young to think of relationships like that, and that their age difference merited for her to be at least some years older. 

But they agreed that they could at least remain friends in the meantime. Jareth was not too happy with the prospect, but agreed because it was better to have Sarah as a friend than being nothing at all. 

The last time they saw each other was the night before she moved to the new house. The new house seemed to be lacking the magic of her old one, she could not even contact her friends afterwards. 

She cried herself to sleep many nights after she tried to contact her friends with no avail. She always wondered if it was because her old house harvested some kind of special magic, or if something bad happened in the underground that she did not know about. 

She thought that was one of the reasons that made her buy her old house when it came out on the market. 

Jareth looked at Sarah and asked, "Why you never called again?" 

Sarah looked at Jareth with surprise and replied, "But I did call. Every night for a whole year, but no one ever came." 

Jareth frowned at this, for he was sure that he could get to Sarah wherever she was. He had seen her cry herself to sleep, and wondered why she never called. 

Seeing tears forming in her eyes, Jareth walked behind her, putting his arms around hers, trying to comfort her, said "I never heard your call. I saw you cry yourself to sleep many times through my crystals, but you know I cannot come unless I'm summoned." 

Sarah smiled, feeling very comfortable in the Goblin King's arms, and asked "If that is so, how did you came here?" 

He smiled smugly, and said "I heard your call. You were asleep at the time, of course, but after all this years I'll take any opportunity to come back." 

She turned to look at him, his arms now resting on her waist. Looking at her beautiful eyes, he said "Come with me, I have a surprise for you." 

Sarah was filled with curiosity now, as she was lead by Jareth to the hedge maze at the Manor's gardens. 

They stopped at the entrance of the maze, and turning to face Sarah, Jareth said "Now, close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you." 

Sarah did as Jareth told her, and felt her hands being guided by his. After various turns they stopped, and Jareth said "You can open your eyes now." 

Sarah opened her eyes, and with amazement she saw that her friends were there. 

She ran up to meet them, screaming "Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus! Oh, I've missed you all." 

She hugged each one of them, and gave Ambrosias a scratch behind the ears. 

Sarah turned to face Jareth and giving him a big hug she said "Thank you. This is the best present anyone can give me." 

Sarah realized that she was holding him a little longer than usual, so she stepped back, her face a deep scarlet. Jareth was surprised, but very pleased that she still considered him a friend. 

When he noticed that she was not letting go, he hoped maybe something more. As he saw her face when she pulled back, his hope increased. 

Smiling very smugly, he said "Come, we need to return to the Gala. You will be missed pretty soon." 

She nodded, and saying good-bye to her friends, she promised that she would call them. She was sure now that if she called, they will come. Jareth was proof enough of that. 

Once they returned to the ballroom, Sarah recognized what was familiar about it. Turning to Jareth she said "This is the ballroom where we danced in the crystal ball." 

Jareth just smiled as a response. Sarah heard her name and turned to see Carrie and Charlie waving at her. She waved back and caught a questioning glance from Carrie while looking in Jareth's direction. 

They made their way towards her, and Sarah said "Jareth, I would like you to meet my friend Carrie and her boyfriend Charlie. Guys, this is Jareth, an old friend of mine." 

Jareth took Carrie's hand and kissing it he said "A pleasure to meet you." He nodded in acknowledgement towards Charlie while shaking his hand. 

At that moment, Mrs. Robinson came in "Mr. King, could I steal you for a minute? There are some people I would like you to meet." 

Jareth smiled towards the older woman, and said "My work here is never done. If you excuse me, I'll return shortly." 

Turning to Sarah, he took her hand and said "Save me a dance, will you?", kissing the back of Sarah's hand. He turned to Mrs. Robinson and left with the head librarian. 

As soon as she made sure they were out of earshot, Carrie turned to Sarah and asked, "I thought you were coming alone. Come on, fess up. Who is he?." 

Sarah looked at her friend and said "I did came alone. He is the one giving away this Gala. I saw him here." 

Carrie was still not convinced "But you said he was an old friend." 

Sarah said "Before tonight, the last time I saw him I was sixteen years old." 

Teasingly, Carrie asked "How good of a friend was he? He hasn't stopped looking at you since he left." 

Sarah looked at her friend, and with an astonished expression she said "What?" 

Carrie looked very subtly towards Jareth and Sarah followed her gaze. What she saw made her blush, and immediately look away. Jareth was staring at her, very intensely. 

Charlie went to Carrie's side and said with a mischievous grin, "Come, let's dance and give Sarah a chance to be alone and rescued." 

Carrie smiled, and said "I guess I'll see you later.", while being taken away by her boyfriend to the dance floor. 

Sarah absentmindedly took a glass of champagne from the tray that was offered to her, when she realized that the waiter was a goblin. 

Looking around her, she saw that all the service people were in fact goblins, but only the ones big enough to be the size of a child, or a small person. 

Sarah decided to take a look at the antique book exhibition in the hall. She approached the labyrinth book, and started reading. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

_Hoggle found himself holding out Jareth's peach. 'Here,' he said to Sarah through clenched teeth.___

_Sarah accepted the fruit gratefully. But when she took her first bite, she realized that it was magic, "Tastes strange." Looking at the dwarf, Sarah said "Hoggle, what have you done?"___

_Hoggle's eyes filled with tears. He turned and ran back into the forest, hating himself and Jareth in equal measure "Damn you Jareth, and damn me too."___

_Sarah, tried to get a hold of anything, she was getting dizzy, "Everything's dancing."___

_She slumped to the base of the tree, and then Sarah forgot everything - Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, even Toby.___

_There were bubbles floating above her, glittering bubbles that seemed to beckon her to some enchanted place. She could hear the music from her music box far away. She followed them.___

_The bubbles took Sarah to a white and crystal ballroom. She could hear someone singing in the background. Dancers whirled across the floor. In the center of it all, watching her, was Jareth.___

_He took her in his arms. 'Please give up this foolish quest,' he thought to himself. He continued singing, declaring his love. The music washed over her as he spun her around in dizzying circles.___

_She felt herself giving in. Then somehow, she watched the clock striking twelve, and thought of Toby.___

_'No!' she gasped. Pulling herself off the Goblin King's arms, she ran towards the end of the crystal.___

_Knowing she could not go any further, she took a chair and smashed it against the wall. In an instant, the ballroom and everything in it crumbled into dust.___

_Sarah found herself in another dream, floating down into a bleak, grey landscape full of mounds of junk. One of the mounds drifted towards her. She heard a voice…_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

  


"Found something interesting?", a soft voice purred in her ear. 

Startled, she turned to face Jareth, who was smiling at her reaction. She punched him lightly in one arm, "Don't do that! You scared me." 

Rubbing his arm mockingly, he said "You did not have to be so violent about it. And here I was, going to invite you to dance with me." 

Sarah could not help the smile that escaped from her lips. "Yeah, I will dance with you." 

Jareth then stopped, and with his hand in his chin started circling her, while looking at her. It was her turn to frown "What?" 

Jareth responded very seriously "If you are going to be seen with me, I'm afraid that outfit is not going to do." 

Sarah looked at herself, and said "What is wrong with my dress?" 

Jareth answered, "Nothing, if you are traversing my labyrinth. But Sarah, this is a ball. Ah, that is much better." 

Sarah looked questioningly at Jareth, and then took a look in one of the hall's mirrors. As soon as she saw herself, she gasped. She was wearing the same dress from the crystal ball those many years ago. Even the complicated hairdo of silver intertwined in her hair. 

She smiled at Jareth, and said "You had this planned all along didn't you?" 

He smiled at her, and with a bow, he said "Guilty as charged." 

Sarah took the hand he was offering her, and they walked to the ballroom. 

As soon as they entered, Jareth stopped. When she looked at him to ask why he stopped, she heard someone announce "His Royal Highness, the Goblin King and Lady Sarah." 

Jareth smiled reassuringly to Sarah, and they made their way to the center of the ballroom, people bowing to them as they passed by. When they reached the center, Jareth turned to her and bowed. She made a curtsy and they started dancing. 

As soon as they started dancing, everybody resumed their dance. Sarah asked Jareth "What was that all about?" 

He smiled, and said, "Don't worry, they are just playing along. Many people read the book before entering, and seeing the ballroom and the maze in the gardens, they got the general idea that they are living The Labyrinth." 

Sarah looked at him and said "So what you are saying is that they are playing the part of your subjects? Cute, real cute." 

They kept dancing, and she placed her head on his shoulder. 

Smiling, he held her a little tighter, while they were slow dancing. When that song was finished, tinkling to the tune of "Greensleeves" from a music box could be heard all over the room. 

Sarah looked up at Jareth, and the tinkling turned into music. She looked around for the source of the music, and was surprised to find an orchestra hiding in one of the corners of the ballroom. 

She looked back at Jareth again, still swaying to the music, and noticed that he started singing that same song from those many years ago. This time she made herself listen carefully to what he was saying. 

_There's such a sad love_   
_Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel_   
_Open and closed within your eyes_   
_I'll place the sky within your eyes_

_There's such a fooled heart_   
_Beating so fast in search of new dreams_   
_A love that will last within your heart_   
_I'll place the moon within your heart_

_As the pain sweeps through_   
_Makes no sense for you_   
_Every thrill has gone_   
_Wasn't too much fun at all_   
_But I'll be there for you-oo-oo_   
_As the world falls down_

_Falling_   
_(As the world) Falling down_   
_Falling in love_

_I'll paint you mornings of gold_   
_I'll spin you Valentine evenings_   
_Though we're strangers till now_   
_We're choosing the path between the stars_   
_I'll lay my love between the stars_

_As the pain sweeps through_   
_Makes no sense for you_   
_Every thrill has gone_   
_Wasn't too much fun at all_   
_But I'll be there for you-oo-oo_   
_As the world falls down_

_Falling_   
_(As the world) Falling down_   
_Falling_   
_As the world falls down_   
_Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling in love_   
_As the world falls down_   
_(down) Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling in love_   
_As the world falls down_

_Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling_

_Makes no sense at all_   
_Makes no sense to fall_   
_Falling_   
_As the world falls down_   
_Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling in love_   
_As the world falls down_   
_(down) Falling_   
_Falling_   
_Falling in love_   
_Falling in love (love)_   
_Falling in love_   
_Falling in love_   
_Falling in love_

  
  
  


Sarah was fighting the tears that were forming in her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? Hurting the only man she had ever… Her heart froze at the sudden realization. She had been in love with Jareth all this time, and still was. 

Looking at him into his eyes she said "Oh Jareth, I understand now. Can you ever forgive me?" 

Jareth just smiled, and said "There is nothing to forgive. I love you." 

Sarah smiled and said "I love you too. Always have and always will." 

Jareth's heart leapt with joy at hearing those words. He had longed to hear her say those words for fifteen long years. 

A wicked grin crossed his face, making Sarah wonder and ask "Penny for your thoughts." 

He looked at her, and with a playful tone he said "You know, if I remember correctly, the last time we danced together you owed me a kiss. I was thinking about collecting, with interest, of course." 

Sarah arched an eyebrow, all she could say was "Oh?" 

At that moment, Sarah could feel herself being pressed closer to him, and his face lowering to meet hers. When their lips met, Sarah forgot about anything else. 

It felt like a thousand suns exploded at the same time, sending her heart soaring into space. She had been kissed before, but nothing had felt so intense, so pure, so right. 

As the need for air made them separate, reality came back. Sarah noticed the amused stares of her friends, making her blush. 

Sensing her embarrassment, he suggested "Maybe we should take a break. Have a stroll through the gardens, sit down, look at the stars…", and the wicked grin returned spreading on his face while he whispered in her ear,"…engage in some more pleasurable activities." , making her blush even more. 

As they left the dance floor making their way towards the balcony, Sarah heard a voice calling her name. When she turned, she saw Carrie coming towards them. 

Smiling sweetly, Carrie said "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the librarians are needed for a quick meeting." 

With that Sarah looked apologetically to Jareth, and with a shrug, followed Carrie. 

While they were walking, Carrie said to Sarah "What's up with the dress and the hair?" 

Sarah blushed and said "Jareth." 

Looking at Sarah with a smirk, she said "Yeah, some old friend. Where were you hiding him?" 

Sarah looked at her friend and said "I have not seen him since I was sixteen." 

Carrie was starting to get worried. This did not sound like her friend at all, "And how you explain that display in the dance floor?" 

Sarah looked towards Jareth, and back to her friend "I have been in love with him since I was fifteen years old. The reason we met is because of The Labyrinth. You could say we were playing the leading parts. We saw each other afterwards, until I moved." 

Sarah continued her tale "I did not saw him again until tonight. After talking for a while, I realized I still love him as much as I did the last time I saw him. He just told me he still loves me as well. I let him go once, I will not do it again." 

Carrie smiled, looking at her, making Sarah ask "What?" 

Still smiling, Carrie responded "Never thought I would see you so love struck as you look now." 

When they got to the rest of the group of librarians, Mrs. Robinson smiled knowingly at Carrie, and then looked at Sarah. 

Mrs. Robinson spoke "The Goblin King was supposed to be looking for a Queen tonight. He was to mingle with the crowd, and meet the girl who met his expectations. After the last song, I think we might now who he will choose.", earning some good intentioned smirks, snorts and cat calls from her coworkers. 

Mrs. Robinson continued, "I just wanted you here to let you know that we will be cheering and clapping for whoever the king chooses to be his Queen. Just go along and improvise, this will signify the ending of the Gala, like a fairy tale. Any questions?" 

Everybody shook their heads, and Mrs. Robinson nodded, giving a signal to the royal announcer, while they were rejoining the people at the ballroom. 

"Hear ye, hear ye, His Majesty, the Goblin King wishes to address his royal guests." 

Jareth stood in the center of the room, and addressed the crowd. "You might not know this, but the reason for this function is because I am looking for a Queen. I am happy to announce that tonight, I have found her." 

Jareth stepped forward towards Sarah, the people getting out of the way as he passed through. 

He took her hands, and kissing each one, he addressed her, "Lady Sarah, many think that this might be sudden, but you know how long I have waited for this. For fifteen years I have waited, and even that I am not a patient man, I have learned that good things come to those who wait." 

Saying that, he kneeled before her, and said "Lady Sarah, I not only offer you my kingdom, I offer you my heart and my soul. Would you grant me the honor of becoming my wife, my Queen, my all?" 

Sarah looked at his eyes and realized that this was not a light request for show, he was really asking her to marry him. 

With tears in her eyes, she nodded and said a very thunderous "Yes! I will marry you. I love you." 

As soon as Jareth saw her response, he stood up and held her in his arms. Creating a crystal out of thin air, he held it for a few seconds, and the crystal started to glow, until a blinding light was left. 

As the light subsided, a ring was in its place elaborately carved with the same symbols as his medallion in silver and gold, and a crystal on top. 

Placing the ring on her finger, Jareth kissed her. Voices could be heard all over saying "Long live King Jareth! Long live Lady Sarah! Long live the Queen!" 

People started congratulating the couple, when she saw something big and red making its way through the crowd. 

Her eyes went wide open, fearing people's reaction, "Ludo!" 

The strange thing is that the rest of the people treated Ludo like if seeing a monster was an everyday event. 

When he got close enough, she saw that Sir Didymus and Hoggle were following the giant beast. Ludo exclaimed "Sarah, Queen friend!" 

Sir Didymus bowed and said "Your Majesties, my most sincere congratulations and best wishes on your impending nuptials." 

It was Hoggle's turn, and taking Sarah's hand said "Congratulations Sarah. I just hope you can cope with His Stubbornness." 

Hoggle turned to Jareth, but instead of looking scared, he looked at Jareth very smugly, and said "Well?". 

Jareth looked at the dwarf sternly for a second, and then threw his head back and laughed. Then he said "Well Hoggle, my friend, I have to admit that you were right. The ball has much better results without the use of a drugged peach." 

Sarah looking confused at Jareth and Hoggle, said "What is going on? Why you are so civil to Hoggle?" 

Jareth turned to his Queen, and said "Sarah, what you saw in the labyrinth was just part of the game. Hoggle and I are very good friends. Especially when he is my royal advisor." 

Charlie and Carrie went to their side, and Charlie patting Jareth's shoulder said "Well little brother, you did it! Congratulations!" 

Sarah looked confused at Carrie, and said "Carrie?" 

Carrie just smiled and said, "Sorry to have deceived you, Sarah, but we did it for a reason." 

Sarah was just stunned "We? Deceive?" 

Charlie bowed to Sarah and said, "Please permit me to introduce ourselves properly." 

A bright flash of light and glitter enveloped him and Carrie, and they looked the same, a little older, but in medieval-type clothes like the ones Jareth wears. 

"I am Jareth's older brother, Oberon, King of the Fey, and your friend Carrie is actually my wife, the lovely Queen Titania." 

Mrs. Robinson came to them, and looking at Oberon and Titania, she said "The masquerade is over? Thank the gods!" 

Glitter and lights gave way and an elf appeared instead of Mrs. Robinson. 

Taking Sarah's hand, he bowed and said "I am Robin Goodfellow, at your service, Queen Sarah. But you can call me Puck, like all my friends do." 

Sarah's head was spinning. Who she thought were her friends were actually deceiving her. 

Starting to feel the beginning of a headache, Sarah said "Could someone please explain what is going on?" 

Jareth took his gloves off and put his hands on Sarah's temple, making her headache disappear, and then glared at Titania "It was your idea, so you better explain." 

With a flick of her wrist, Titania transported them to a secluded part of the balcony, where various sofas and chairs were arranged cozily, and motioned for them to take a seat. 

Titania stood in front of Sarah, and started "Well, by Fae law, when a Fae ruler reaches certain age, he or she is expected to continue the royal line. If a consort has not been taken by the time they reach that age, the family chooses the consort. 

This rule cannot be broken, especially by our dear Jareth, who is reaching that age very soon, and knowing him, he was still brooding over you. I knew he would not take anyone but you, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. If Jareth could not come to you, I was going to make you come to him. 

When I saw that you applied for the open position of librarian, I thought that would be the time to put things in motion. The plan was going to be very subtle. Just drop hints here and there for you to think of the labyrinth again. When your house went on sale, I knew I was doing the right thing, fate wanted you together. 

When I saw your room for the first time after you moved, I knew that our plan was working, the dreamer in you was returning. Then, about two months ago, owl boy here comes with the news that he can return aboveground, that he had been called by you. 

Of course, when he told us that you were sleeping at the time, we knew we had to do something to make you see each other again. Hence, the fundraiser gala. Not bad, we accomplished bringing you and Jareth together, plus the library is going to have a very good budget this year." 

Sarah was shocked at all the lengths they had gone through to have them together. 

She looked at her love, while asking, "Jareth, what did Titania meant when she said that this marriage rule could not be broken, especially by you?" 

Jareth looked at his brother, who nodded, and then he turned to Sarah "There is this legend that states that one of my direct descendants will bring back the protector of the Underground. That is why I must be married, so it is insured I have children." 

Then, a wicked smile crossed his face, and leaning towards Sarah he whispered in her ear "I am fifteen years behind schedule, and I would like to get back on track as soon as possible.", making Sarah blush and give him a light punch on his leg. 

Sarah looked at Jareth and said "I'm not sure that my parents are going to like the idea of being engaged for only a month, but I think we have waited long enough." 

Jareth held her close to him and said, "Even that by Fae law we are already married, a month is going to seem too long to have you as my wife." 

A goblin came towards them, bowed and said "Your Majesty, all the guests have left. We will finish the clean up soon." 

Jareth looked at the goblin and said, "Very well, but make sure that there is no trace of what transpired here tonight." 

The goblin said "It shall be done as you command. I shall go now with your permission." 

Jareth dismissed him with a wave of the hand. The goblin bowed and before leaving he said reverently "Good night, Your Highness, Queen Sarah". 

Jareth turned to see Sarah, who was stifling a yawn. He smiled and said "You must be exhausted. Let me take you home." 

Sarah nodded in agreement, and taking her hand in his, he produced a crystal in his other hand and smashed it on the floor. 

All Sarah saw was a blinding flash of light, and afterwards they were in her room. 

She noticed that she was no longer wearing the ballroom dress, but a nightgown. 

Jareth was pulling the covers off her bed, and said "Go to sleep, it has been a long day for you." 

She smiled, and kissed him good night. 

He said, "I must leave now, but I will see you tomorrow." 

She saw him disappear in the midst of glitter, before going to bed. As soon as her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep, a smile on her lips. 

________________________ 

**A/N:** Let me know what you think. Your review is greatly appreciated, let's me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.   
Please leave a contribution in the little box. 


	2. The fairy tale is real

**A/N: ** Well, this is teh second part of my story. sorry if it seems that i'm hurring it up, but believe me there's a lot of things that need to be covered still. I decided to post this part, I know is short, but I'm traveling on business and wanted to have something posted before I left. The title still does'nt make sense, but it will be as the story progresses. Oh, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my firsat language. Sphynx, if you are reading this, please e-mail me. could you beta read (You are the English lit teacher) Pleeeeeeease? Also, thanks to all of you who reviewed the first part of my story. Is you guys who encourage me to keep writing. So, with that said, thanks to: Melissa Davis (see what you have done?), April, Sarah Beth, ~*Sliver Wolf*~ , Dagger Point, Sailor Sadness (hey you!!), Amber, Taiki, Corona, Usagi Tsukino (wanna beta read?), Faye McLeod, kel the star owl, selua, and asp. Oh, and if you read, review. Please be gentle, but flames are accepted. 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. I only own Mrs. Robinson, Carrie and Charlie. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  


**Part 2**   


Sarah was waking up, she could feel the sunshine through her closed eyelids. She did not want to wake up, that dream was so real, she could still feel Jareth's lips on her own. 

She stirred to lay on her side, when she realized that her head was not resting on a pillow, but on someone's chest, and that an arm was wrapped around her waist. She carefully opened her eyes, just to see a pair of mismatched eyes looking at her. 

Smiling, Jareth gave her a kiss on her forehead before saying "Good morning. Did you slept well?" 

She opened her eyes widely, grogginess gone in a matter of seconds. "Jareth! It was not a dream, it was real?" 

He gave her a mischievous smile, and said "Is that a problem?" 

It was her turn to return a wicked grin, "Oh, no. Not at all." She then proceeded to demonstrate what a good morning she was having. 

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a slamming door and a voice saying "Sarah! Are you awake?" 

Sarah sat up and asked Jareth "What time is it?" 

Jareth looked at her alarm clock and said "Is 9:00 AM. Why you ask?" 

Slapping her forehead with her right hand she said "How could I forget? I'm taking Toby to baseball practice today. That must be him right now." Jumping out of bed, she yelled "I'll be right down, Toby. I'll make us some breakfast." 

Jareth chuckled, and disappeared from the bedroom. Sarah got out of the bathroom, and hurriedly put on a T-shirt over a pair of jeans and her favorite canvas sneakers. Going down the stairs, she could sense the smell of bacon being cooked coming from the kitchen and said, "Toby, you didn't have to start breakfast." 

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she saw that Toby was waiting for her in the living room, and giving her a puzzled look he said, "But I didn't start breakfast. I thought that was you." 

They ran to the kitchen, just to find Jareth making breakfast. He was wearing a black T-shirt, very tight jeans, and black boots. His hair was pulled back on a ponytail. He saw them coming into the kitchen, smiled and said "How you like your eggs cooked?" 

Sarah was just amused by the homely scene "Toby and I usually have them scrambled. I never knew you could cook!" 

He just smiled at her and said "You never asked." 

Toby narrowed his eyes, and looking from Sarah to Jareth, he asked his sister, "What is he doing here?" 

Sarah bit her lip nervously, and said "Toby, this is my fiancé Jareth. Jareth, I think you remember my brother Toby." 

Toby widened his eyes and said "You are marrying the Goblin King?" 

Jareth arched his eyebrow and said "You remember me?" 

Sarah looked surprised at Toby "You never told me you remembered your time at the castle." 

Toby smiled and said "Of course I remember. That room with the stairs is the coolest place I've ever been to. I could never forget that." Then he said teasingly, "I remember lots of things. Like that Saturday we were supposed to stay at home alone, but certain royalty that I will not mention stayed the whole day with us." 

Jareth and Sarah looked at each other and then at the fifteen year old boy. Toby said "You know mom is going to throw a fit when she finds out. Don't worry, I'm on your side." 

Jareth put a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of Toby while Sarah gave him some toast. Sarah said "Eat, we are going to be late." 

Toby glanced curiously at the Goblin King and asked "Are you coming with us?" 

Jareth seemed to think about it for a while, and then said "I think I will, is time I start getting to know my new family better." 

They finished eating and went into the car. Twenty minutes later, they were on the baseball field, Toby explaining the game rules to Jareth on the way. The game went on, Jareth and Sarah cheering Toby, congratulating him when his team won the game. 

To celebrate, they had pizza for lunch. By early afternoon, it was time to take Toby home. Sarah was a bit nervous, this was it. She knew that breaking the news to her parents would not be easy, but at least Jareth will be with her when she tells them. 

Sarah was getting nervous now, the butterflies in her stomach multiplying as the car got closer to its intended destination. She pulled the car into the driveway, and turning the engine off, she closed her eyes and gave a sigh. 

Jareth looked at her and said, "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine." 

Sarah nodded and got out of the car. Once they reached the front door, Toby opened it while yelling, "Mom, dad, we're here!!!" 

They went into the living room, when Sarah heard Robert, her father, behind the newspaper he was reading "So, how was the game?" 

Karen got in at that moment and asked "Sarah, who is your friend?", making Robert fold his newspaper with curiosity. Sarah stilled herself. This is it. 

"Dad, Karen, I would like you to meet Jareth, my fiancé. We are getting married next month."   


**A MONTH LATER….**   


Sarah was looking out of the bedroom's balcony to the wonderful view from the castle. She could still not believe that earlier that day she had married Jareth, the Goblin King in front of her family and friends. Carrie (or better phrased, Titania) was the maiden of honor, while Charlie (Oberon) was the best man. Toby had served as the ring bearer. 

Robert and Karen Williams had taken the news of the engagement surprisingly well. They had taken to Jareth immediately, even Toby had formed a strong bond with him. 

The wedding had been a small, private ceremony. She would never forget the look in Jareth's eyes while she was walking down the aisle with her father. They were filled with passion, longing, desire, and the promise of eternal love. 

Their reception was done in a local restaurant, from where they said good-bye to everybody and after walking away from the restaurant, they disappeared into the Underground. 

Unknown to her, a reception ball was being held in their honor, to welcome the new Goblin Queen. She saw her friends again, and danced all night with her husband. Husband. Even the mention of the word made a smile form automatically on her lips. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist, and a purring voice in her ear "What are you thinking?" 

Sarah looked lovingly at her King, and said "I still can't believe we are married. I keep thinking this is a dream, and I'm going to wake up soon." 

A devilish grin crossed his face when he turned her around, and facing her said "I'm afraid I will have to convince you that this is all too real." Saying that, he carried her to the enormous four-post bed in the middle of the bedroom. 

Once he deposited her in the bed, Sarah looked at Jareth, desire written all over her face, and with a teasing grin she said "I think I'm going to need a little more convincing than that." 

Jokingly he said "This young people now a days. They can never accept something out of faith." Jareth eagerly proceeded to convince Sarah that he was very real, in the way only he could do…   
  


**EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER….**   


Jareth was sitting impatiently in his throne. Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and King Oberon just watched as the Goblin King lost his patience. He had been pacing the throne room then slumping in the throne, then pacing again, sitting down, for the past two hours. "At least he is calmer now" thought Hoggle. 

"Did something happened to Sarah? Why are they taking so long?" the Goblin King shouted, jumping out of the throne and nervously pacing the throne room, again. 

Oberon looked at his younger brother with amusement, and said "Will you stop the pacing? Or do you want another hole in your throne room? You know that giving birth is a strenuous and long process. Besides, if something happened to your wife we will know immediately, Titania is with her." 

At that moment, a baby's cry was heard. Jareth disappeared form the throne room to his bedchambers. Titania went to him and said "Sarah and the baby are fine. Go to her." 

Jareth hurried to the side of the bed. A smiling but tired Sarah greeted her husband with a tender kiss. She was holding a little bundle in her arms. Looking at her husband she said "Do you want to hold him?" 

"A boy?" said Jareth, taking the baby from Sarah. Looking proudly at his heir, the Goblin King asked, "Have you thought a name for him?". 

Sarah smiled and said "Look at him. He is an exact replica of you. He even has your eyes. I want to call him Jareth." 

The Goblin King smiled and said very tenderly, "Hello, Prince Jareth. Welcome to the Underground." 

Agnes, who acted as midwife, came back from the bathroom and said "Your Majesty, Her Highness needs to rest now, yes, yes. You can come back when is time for the feedin', hmmmm?" 

Titania said to Jareth "Come, the others must be a nervous wreck right now. Also, you need to tell her family the good news." 

Jareth put the baby in the crib, and kissed his wife "Sleep well, my love. I'll see you after you rest." 

Sarah smiled, stifling a yawn, and bid her husband good-bye. 

Agnes opened the door and said, "Off you go now. Don't worry, I'll stay with her." 

The Goblin King and the Queen of the Fae walked out the bedchambers to give the good news to all the friends that were looking expectantly at them outside the door. 

Before she closed the door, she could hear the Goblin King proudly announce "It's a boy!", making everybody rejoice and give their congratulations to the king. 

Agnes couldn't help chuckle as she closed the door. Turning back to the Queen, she saw that Sarah was fast asleep "The poor thing, must be exhausted.", she thought while rearranging the bed sheets. 

She then turned to the baby's crib. Taking from her pocket an amethyst pendant that was hanging from a thin golden chain, she swung it on top of the baby, while reciting the spell as she was instructed: 

_Purple heart of the crystal moon_   
_I need to know, please tell me soon_   
_If this small babe is the one bound_   
_to find the Savior of the Underground_

Agnes waited in anticipation, but nothing happened. Disappointed, she sighed, while thinking "He is not the one. That wizard is going to be so discouraged. After all this time, we cannot afford to wait any longer." 

She left the room as quietly as possible, so to not disturb the mother and her child. Walking through the corridors, she could see that there was a full celebration of the birth of the new Goblin Prince. 

Passing through one of the halls, she saw the Wise Man with the bird hat, and approached him. She put the pendant in the box, while shaking her head sadly. The wise man nodded, and walked away.   


  


________________________ 

**A/N:** Let me know what you think. Your review is greatly appreciated, let's me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.   
Please leave a contribution in the little box.   



	3. A new bundle of joy

**A/N: ** Well, this is the third part of my story. I hope that by now the title makes a little sense. I'm trying to post this before I get stuck at the airport in Atlanta (there is a snow storm coming). Oh, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language. Also, thanks to all of you who reviewed the second part of my story. Is you guys who encourage me to keep writing. So, with that said, thanks to: bunnylove160, ~*Sliver Wolf*~, Melissa Davis (hope you are feeling better!!!), and Sailor Sadness (Believe me, rent the movie, is worth it. Oh, if you can rent the DVD, is MUCH better than VHS - I know, I have both... he, he... - and the novel, and the soundtrack, and the goblin companion... ahem! Can you say obsessed?). Oh, and if you read, please review. Be gentle but honest, even flames are accepted. 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. I only own Jay and Caridwen. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  


**Part 3**   


"Jareth, get down from there this instant!", a very furious Sarah said. 

"But mom…" 

"Don't 'but mom' me, Jay. That order goes for you too. And don't encourage your father!" 

Jay was the nickname they gave their son, as a way to differentiate father and son. True, Prince Jareth looked more like his father each day, he even started mimicking his father's mocking grin. God help her! 

An instant later, Jareth appeared in front of Sarah with their three-year old on his shoulders. He looked at his wife's worried face and said "Sarah, we were just enjoying the view of the labyrinth from the trees. You know I would never do anything to harm Jay." 

Sarah just sighed, and nodded in understanding, while saying "I know I overreacted, but my only thought was him falling off the tree. I'm sorry, I guess I'm just being a mother." 

The Goblin King smiled, and said "And a very good one indeed.", while kissing her. 

Sarah smiled back, she could not stay mad with them for long. She did not understand why she reacted that way. But that was not the only case, lately her emotions had been in turmoil, and she did not know why. 

The only other time that happened was when she learned that she was going to have Jay. Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and she started making some calculations. 

Jareth, looking at his Queen, said "Is something wrong, dear?" 

Sarah just smiled and said, "If what I suspect is true, everything is fine. I have to see someone now." 

Kissing her son and husband, she said "I'll be back soon. Jay, please behave and obey your father. That behave part goes for you too, Jareth." She threw them a kiss, and disappeared in the midst of glitter. 

'Well?", said a very nervous and impatient Sarah. 

The Fae doctor just looked at the Queen and said "My congratulations to you and the king, Your Majesty. Your suspicions were correct, you are going to have another baby." 

Sarah smiled, and hugged the doctor, while saying "Thank you. This is great! I can't wait to tell them.", and disappeared from the doctor's office to the castle beyond the Goblin City. 

Once she appeared, she asked one of the goblins, "Is Jareth here?" 

The goblin said 'Yes, Your Highness. His Majesty is in the throne room." 

Sarah simply said "Thank you.", and kept walking to the throne room. 

Once there, she could see Jareth watching Jay play with the goblins, trying to capture a chicken. 

Jareth saw his wife entering the room, and smiled at her. She smiled back, and said "Jay, go wash and get ready for dinner, it will be served shortly." 

All he could do was put a disappointed face, and walk to his bedroom. He knew better than to argue with his mother. He had learned the hard way, so all he said was a very sad "Ok." 

Sarah approached her husband and sat on his lap. Putting her arms around his neck, she kissed him. 

Jareth looked at her and asked "So, who did you went to see?" 

Sarah smiled and said "That is part of the surprise I have for dinner. Come, let's get ready for dinner as well.", while standing up and taking his hand. 

They disappeared from the throne room and reappeared on their bedchambers. Sarah was sitting in front of her vanity finishing putting her hair up, with a few strands loose. Jareth approached her from behind, kissing the back of her neck. 

Sarah arched her head forwards to grant him better access to her neck and closing her eyes, she said "Jareth, what are you doing?" 

In a playful tone, the Goblin King responded "What do you think I'm doing?" 

Smiling, she said, "We really need to get going to dinner. But if you hold that thought afterwards, I will make it worth the wait." 

He purred in her ear "You promise?" 

She turned in her chair to face him, and giving him a quick peck on the lips, she said "Scouts honor." 

They walked to the dining room, where they found Jay, Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymus already waiting. 

During dinner, they had a normal conversation like every night. If Sarah was surprised that Hoggle was the royal advisor, she was even more surprised when she learned that Sir Didymus was the captain of the royal guard, and that Ludo was the groundskeeper of the labyrinth. They made a habit of having dinner together at least three times a week. 

When dessert was over, she addressed her son casually, "Jay, you know how long you have been asking for a brother or a sister?" 

The little boy nodded and said "I've been asking forever!" 

Sarah smiled, and said "Well, looks like your wish has been granted. Soon you will have a little brother or sister." 

Jay's face lit up and he asked "How soon? Tomorrow?" 

Sarah smiled and she said, "No, I think more in about six months or so." 

Sarah turned to see her husband's expression, and had to suppress a fit of laughter. Getting out of the shock, he asked "Sarah? You are pregnant?" 

She nodded and Jareth was next to her in an instant, kissing her. She received congratulations from her friends. 

After tucking their son, Jareth and Sarah went to their bedchambers. Once they got there, Sarah looked at her husband, and said "Please remind me were where we?" 

Jareth looked at her, and said "Sarah, you have no idea how happy you have made me. Another child, another blessing. I just simply adore you." 

Kissing her, he deposited on her bed, and let her know how much she meant to him. Sarah was sleeping when a faint sound woke her up. She opened her eyes, trying to hear the sound that woke her up, but there was only silence. 

Dismissing it, she put her head in the pillow and was going back to sleep when she heard the sound again, but this time she could hear it clearly. It was more a whisper, saying her name "Sarah…" 

She sat up in her bed, and asked "Who's there?" 

She heard the whisper again, "Sarah…" 

For some reason, Sarah got out of her bed, and went to the balcony. There, she had a great view of the labyrinth bathed in the moonlight. Sarah heard the whisper again, more clearly "Sarah…" 

Sarah asked again "Who is this?" 

The whisper came back, but louder and clearer this time "Is me…. the labyrinth…" 

Sarah opened her eyes wide in amazement and asked "What do you want?" 

The whisper only said "Your child is very precious. Not only to me, but to the whole Underground. Take good care of your child, Sarah…" 

After that, there was only silence. Sarah stayed a while longer, but she did not hear the labyrinth again. 

She was startled when she felt arms wrapping around her "Oh, is you. You scared me for a second." 

Jareth asked with concern "What are you doing out here? I suddenly woke up and saw you at the balcony as if looking for something." 

Sarah rested her head back into her husband's shoulder and said "I just thought I heard something. Let's go back to sleep, ok?" 

With that, she took his hand and went back to bed. She did not thought anything of what happened that night, until six months later. 

The scene in the throne room was familiar. Oberon, Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and Jareth waiting for Sarah to give birth. The only difference this time, that instead of watching Jareth go between pacing and sitting, they spent their time playing with Jareth's son. 

"Dad, do you have any eights?" 

"Go fish!", the Goblin King answered. He looked seriously to his brother "Obi, any fours?" 

Oberon could not help the smile on his face, watching his little brother. If someone would have told him five years ago that he would live to see Jareth playing something like go fish he would have dismissed them as crazy. Fatherhood has definitely been good for him. His grin crossed his face from ear to ear now. Looking at his cards he looked back to his brother and said "Go fish! Ha!" 

Sarah was just getting tired of pushing. She thought that this time would be easier, but looked like the baby had other plans. 

Titania looked at her, saying "Come on, one more, one more, now push!" 

Sarah pushed with all her might, and she could hear Agnes "That's it, your Majesty, yes. You are doing very good, very good indeed. Keep going, I have the head, the baby's out! You can rest now, hmmm?" 

Sarah put her head back in the pillow, and breathing trying to calm herself, she heard a whisper, "Sarah… Thank you…" 

Sarah opened her eyes, and said "Labyrinth?" 

Titania went to her side "Did you said something, dear?" 

Sarah shook her head, "No, I just thought I heard something." 

She heard her baby's cry, when Agnes gave her child bundled up "Here you go, a nice healthy baby girl. Congratulations, Your Highness. His Majesty should be here soon." 

Surely enough, Jareth appeared in the room moments after Agnes finished speaking. He swiftly moved to his Queen's side, giving her a loving kiss on her forehead and lips. Sitting next to her, he leaned to look at their new child. 

Sarah said "Jareth, meet your daughter." 

Jareth's face was radiating pure happiness "A girl! Do you know what to name her?" 

Sarah's mind drew a blank. She was looking for baby names, but for some reason could not find any that she liked. She heard the whispers from the Labyrinth once again, this time with a name. The Labyrinth was right, that was a perfect name for their daughter. She looked at the Goblin King and said "Yes. Her name is Caridwen." 

He looked at his wife and his daughter and lovingly said "Your parents welcome you to the Underground, little Caridwen." 

Jareth took the baby from her mother's arms, while saying "You rest now, dear. I'll put the baby in the crib, and leave to give everybody the good news. Agnes, will you stay with them for a while?" 

Agnes nodded, while taking the baby from his arms. Jareth and Titania left the bedchambers to give the news to everybody who was waiting outside for the news. 

Agnes waited for Sarah to fall asleep, while she rocked the baby in her arms. Once she made sure Sarah was in a very deep sleep, she put the baby in the crib, and took the pendant out once again, while reciting: 

_Purple heart of the crystal moon_   
_I need to know, please tell me soon_   
_If this small babe is the one bound_   
_to find the Savior of the Underground_

Unlike with her brother, this time the pendant reacted to the babe. The amethyst started glowing brightly, and then the brightness decreased, but the pendant still glowed. Agnes smiled, the old wizard will be happy now, the chosen one has arrived. 

Agnes left the royal bedchambers quietly in search of the Wise Man. When she reached him, she showed him the pendant, which he took promptly, and put it in his robes. Walking away, he was mumbling "Much to be done…. No time to spare…" 

________________________ 

**A/N:** Let me know what you think. Your review is greatly appreciated, is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.   
Please leave a contribution in the little box.   
  



	4. I hope this is a decision they will not ...

**A/N: ** Well, this is the fourth part of my story. I hope that you do not get confused, this is where the crossover starts popping its little head. Any Harry Potter questions, please send them with your reviews and I will try to rewrite and explain. I'll try to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. Oh, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language. Also, thanks to all of you who reviewed the third part of my story. Is you guys who encourage me to keep writing. So, with that said, thanks to: bunnylove160, Kim, the Manipulative Little Monster (As I promised you last night, here it is!!!), ~*Sliver Wolf*~, Melissa Davis (Things Change, The Hunger and To What May Come rock!!!), Usagi Tsukino, and Sarah Beth.   
Oh, and if you read, please review. Be gentle but honest, even flames are accepted. 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize.. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  
  


**Part 4**   


Sarah was in the library, looking over her son's shoulders to check on his work, "Very good, Jay. Now the H. That's it! Very good, you just wrote your name!" 

A beautiful smile crossed the five-year-old's face, when he said "Mom, can we show dad? Pleeease?" 

Sarah smiled and said "I'm sure your father will be very pleased. Let's go and surprise him." 

She took the baby from the crib that was placed in the library, cradling her in one arm while taking her son's hand with her free one. They walked into the throne room, when she saw that Jareth was reading what looked like an official parchment from the Court and was frowning. 

He tore his gaze from the letter and saw that his family was standing at the entrance. Dismissing the letter, he smiled when he saw his son running into him, very excited "Dad, dad, look what I did today! I'm big now, right?" 

Taking his son in his lap, he took the piece of parchment that was offered to him. He took a look at it and saw that the word JARETH was written in it. Very squiggly, but understandable for a five year old. Little Jareth said very proud "I wrote it all by myself!" 

Looking at his son, he said "You did? This is very good. My are you growing fast! Maybe it is time I start thinking about a tutor for you…" 

The little boy looked at his father with a puzzled face "What's a tut.. tor? Is that anything like school?" 

Jareth smiled and nodded "Yes, but instead of you going to school, your teacher comes here. Would you like that?" 

The little boy nodded excited and exclaimed "Yeah!" 

Sarah looked at the two most important men in her life and said "Jay, why don't you go and play? I need to talk to dad." 

The little boy jumped from his father's lap and said "Okay." Looking at one of the goblins, he said "Forg, wanna play hide and seek?" 

The goblin nodded, and the prince said "Let's go look for the others." And the pair ran out of the throne room, to look for other goblins to play with. 

As soon as she saw that Jay left the room, Sarah looked at her husband and said "Jareth, is something wrong? I could tell that whatever you were reading when we came in distressed you." 

At the reminder of the letter, the Goblin King's anger returned. How could they do this to them? Seeing his wife's worried face, he made himself calm down. Looking at his daughter, his worries returned. Very somberly, he said "I think you better read this." 

Sarah gave the baby to her husband, and took the parchment he was reading when they came in. He could see his wife's face showing different emotions as she was reading the letter. From indifference, to worry to anger. Finally she spoke "They are doing WHAT? They can't do that, can they?", looking at her husband with a worried expression. 

Jareth sighed and said "I'm afraid they can. The orders come from the High Council itself. It will be announced at the party, and he will be attending as well." 

Sarah was dismayed at the news "How could they do that? She's not even a year old, and she is already engaged? And to top it off, we have no say into it? We do not even know who is her intended or anything! She will not be given the option to fall in love! That's preposterous!" 

Sarah was now pacing the throne room, venting her anger "I have worked very hard to make her first year birthday a success, and now The Court's High Council is going to announce her engagement? Can't Oberon do anything about it? He is a member of the High Council, isn't he?" 

Sadly, the Goblin King shook his head "He is the one who sent the letter. He tried to fight that decision, but he was overruled. We have to accept their decision, but that does not mean we have to like it." 

Hugging his daughter he thought "I hope that this is a decision they will not regret later…" 

The day of the birthday celebration came, and the Goblin King and Queen were talking to some of their guests. Children could be seen playing all around the ballroom. The king of the Fae, Oberon, came to his brother, "Jareth, could I speak to you for a moment?" 

Jareth nodded and excusing himself from his guests followed his brother. Oberon spoke quietly "Before the announcement, I thought you might like to meet your daughter's future husband. Tell Sarah to bring the baby." 

Jareth could feel the anger building within, as well as his brother. Oberon warned him "Calm down. You mustn't cause a scene." 

Jareth sighed and went to look for his wife. Sarah was talking with some guests and entertaining their daughter on her lap when he approached them. Flashing a smile, the Goblin King took the baby, and said "Ladies, could you please excuse us. Sarah, there is someone I would like you to meet." 

Sarah smiled, and excusing herself, walked along her husband. She was curious, and said "Who do you want me to meet?" 

He was serious now, and in a cold tone he said "Cari's future husband. Oberon will make the introductions, and Titania will take care of Jay." 

As soon as they entered the throne room, they saw Oberon with two more members of the High Council, Seana Queen of the merpeople and Po the King of the centaurs. Next to them was a young man in his early twenties, which neither of them had seen before. He had jet-black hair tied up in a ponytail, and very intense blue eyes which were looking at them with extreme interest. 

They sat down on their thrones, and Jareth nodded to Oberon. The King of the Fae spoke, "Goblin King, as representatives of the Court's High Council we would like to present to you the one chosen as your daughter's betrothed, Lord Valkor." 

The young man bowed and said "It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesties. I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to make your daughter happy." 

Jareth looked at the young man with narrowed eyes, and asked curiously "From which kingdom do you come from? 

The young man looked at the king, and said "I'm not from any of this kingdoms, Your Highness. I am a wizard from Earth." 

The Goblin King arched an eyebrow in response. That was interesting, a wizard from Earth in the Underground. It was not unheard of, but very few people from Earth's wizarding world came to their realm. But there was something about him he couldn't put his finger on "There is something more about you, am I correct?" 

The young man smiled and bowed in response while saying "Ah, I knew His Majesty would be keen in picking up that I'm not just a wizard. Like your daughter, I am half-Fae. My mother was a Fae, she lived in the Underground until she met my father, a wizard from Earth. When they got married she went with him to Earth's wizarding world." 

Sarah, who was very interested in the exchange between her husband and this young man, kept looking from one to the other. He seemed a nice young man, but what was this notion about a wizarding world on Earth? Sarah cleared her throat, and asked "I just have a question. What do you mean by wizarding world? I come from Earth and never heard anything about it." 

It was the young man's turn to look surprised. He said "I hope you forgive me for saying this, but I thought that you were a witch. You are a muggle, then?" 

Sarah's expression was confused "A what?" 

"A muggle. A non-magical person that lives on Earth.", was Lord Valkor's response. 

Sarah frowned, and said "I guess so." 

He explained further "On Earth, the wizarding community is hidden from the rest of the world. I probably don't have to tell you the disaster if there was commonly known that magic is real. In the Middle ages fear of the wizard community lead to the slaughter of thousands of innocent victims, muggles and wizards alike. To prevent this ever occurring again, the wizarding world decided to remain hidden from the regular world. Very few muggles know about the existence of our world. That is the reason you never heard about it." 

Sarah was astonished at this bit of news. Thinking that magic was gone from her world always made her sad. Now she knew that the magic never left, just remained well hidden. There was something else that she did not understand "Oberon, Seana, and Poe, as representatives of the High Council, why did you chose him instead of a member of the Underground? 

Queen Seana moved forward and said "We made that decision with your best interests in mind, dear. It was simple, seeing that the Goblin kingdom and Earth's wizarding world are interconnected, it looked the most reasonable choice." 

A puzzled frown spread through the Goblin Queen's face "I am afraid that I do not understand." 

Jareth sighed and said "In the wizarding world there is a money system, like everywhere else. So there is a bank exclusive for the wizarding community. The bank's name is Gringott's. This bank is run by goblins. Goblins are like other people, there are brilliant ones, bright ones, and not so bright ones. The goblins that are sent there are intelligent, they never stay in the Underground. We have branches all over the world. Is this banking system that keeps our vaults prosperous. In fact, I am what you could call the CEO of Gringott's. That is the reason for those long trips that I make from time to time." 

Needless to say, these were surprising news for the Goblin Queen. As she tried to process the information, she could not help get a mental picture of Jareth in a business suit, surrounded by phones, and a secretary in a corner. The thought almost made her laugh, but she managed to contain it properly. She kept bouncing her little daughter on her lap, when she noticed that the baby was very interested in the young man standing in front of them. 

Oberon noticed this, and said, "Lord Valkor, I guess you have not met your intended yet. This little one is Princess Caridwen." 

Lord Valkor looked at the small baby with amazement. The baby looked at him and giggled, putting her arms up, so she could be carried by him. The Goblin King and Queen looked at their daughter with surprise. She never liked any strangers, and the fact that she did want to go with this man that she had never seen before was unexpected. 

Caridwen was struggling with her mother, trying to get herself loose. Sarah put her daughter on the floor, and she started to walk to Lord Valkor. He met her halfway and carried her on his arms "Hi, beautiful. You are just a baby now, but I can see that you are going to be a striking woman, just like your mother. I promise I will come visit from time to time to get to know you better." 

The baby just giggled and clapped her hands. Valkor walked towards the Goblin Queen, and gave her baby back. Oberon stepped up and said "I think is time to make the announcement." 

They walked back to the ballroom, eliciting lots of curious glances and whispers towards their direction. So many monarchs huddled together in secrecy for a long time, and three of them being members of the Court's High Council, meant that something was going to happen. 

King Poe made a motion to stop the music, and gathering everybody's attention he spoke, "Is the high Council's privilege to announce the engagement of Princess Caridwen to Lord Valkor of Earth." 

More whispers could be heard after that announcement. In one corner of the ballroom, Agnes looked at the Wise Man, worry written all over their faces. This news were not good at all. This will make their job more difficult, and they could not afford to be discovered. 

________________________ 

**A/N:** Let me know what you think. Your review is greatly appreciated, is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.   
Please leave a contribution in the little box.   
  



	5. Destiny starts....

**A/N: ** Well, this is the fifth part of my story. Any Harry Potter questions, please send them with your reviews and I will try to rewrite and explain. I'll try to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. Oh, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language. Also, thanks to all of you who reviewed the fourth part of my story: Evenstar, Melissa Davis, Usagi Tsukino, bunnylove160, Kim, the Manipulative Little Monster, La Bird, and ~*Sliver Wolf*~.   
Oh, and if you read, please review. Be gentle but honest, even flames are accepted. 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize.. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  


**Part 5**   


"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred. Ready or not, here I come!" The little boy looked at his surroundings, checking for places his sister might try to hide. His shoulder length hair, golden as a wheat field, was swept around his face by the cool breeze of the morning. 

His mismatched eyes, so much like his father's, were alert, looking for any signs of movement. "Where could she be?", he wondered. She could be hiding anywhere in this part of the labyrinth. He knew that playing hide and seek inside the hedge maze was a bad idea, but he could never step out of a challenge. 

Blue-gray eyes observed with amusement as the boy looked all over for the girl, who was hiding. No, he will never guess to look for her in here. She stifled a laugh, as her hair, the color of dark chocolate and smooth as silk, careened around her face. She saw her brother pass by her, and continue oblivious in the opposite direction. 

Her attention was taken from her brother, as she heard a sound. Looking behind her, she stiffened, trying to hear it again. She heard it this time, barely a whisper. "Caridwen…." 

She smiled, knowing what it was. She was able to hear the Labyrinth for as long as she could remember, but seemed that she was the only one to be able to. Sometimes she will be listening to the labyrinth, looking at it through the balcony or a window, and her mother will look at her strangely, as if she knew. 

She looked again, to make sure her brother was out of sight, and whispered, "Labyrinth?" 

She smiled as she heard the response "Come, child…" 

She responded with curiosity "Where?" 

As soon as she spoke, a small floating light appeared in front of her. It swirled around her head signaling for her to follow. She looked around for her brother once more, and not seeing any sight of him, she followed the floating light through the Labyrinth. 

She kept turning this way and that, until she reached a part of the hedge maze she had never been in before. Not that she had been in the labyrinth too many times. 

After all, she was only three and a half years old, and the only times she was allowed in there was with her parents or with her brother. This was the first time she ever ventured any part of it by herself. 

She suddenly arrived on a clearing, a seat made of what looked like books in stone in the middle, and the light disappeared. A movement caught her eye, and hiding behind the hedge, she saw a very old man walking towards the seat, a funny bird on his head. 

Curiosity overrode fear, and she walked towards him after he sat on the strange seat. The Wise Man smiled internally. She was still very young, but she would have to be trained ahead of schedule. They were not counting on her to be engaged so young, and with a wizard, no less. 

He looked at the little girl intently, trying to see if she was afraid, and said "Oh, a little girl!" The bird hat looked at the girl and just said "Woo, woo woo!!!" 

She could not stop laughing, that bird was silly. Still laughing, she asked "Hi. Wh..who are you? What is the bird's name? He is funny." 

The Wise Man looked at the princess and said "I am the Wise Man, and this here," he looked upwards towards the hat, "is Pepe (pronounced PehPeh). And what is your name, little one?" 

"My name is Caridwen, and is a pleasure to meet you .", she responded, remembering the good manners ingrained by her mother. 

The bird hat just looked at the little girl, and said "Mucho gusto, señorita! Is a pleasure to meet you too. So, what is a little girl like you doing alone in a place like this? Did you wished someone away?" 

She laughed again, she really liked the hat. She shook her head and said, "I live in the castle beyond the Goblin City. I'm the Goblin Princess." 

The Wise Man looked at her through narrowed eyes, "Does your father know that you are here?" 

She looked at the floor and shook her head, her voice barely audible "No." 

The Wise Man smiled, and took something out of his pocket, while saying, "Because I like you, I want to give you this to remember us by." 

Saying this, he showed her a golden chain with a purple stone hanging from it, and as she looked close to it, she could see it glow. Taking the chain, she put it around her neck, and was admiring the stone, when she heard her brother calling her, "Cari, Cari, where are you?" 

She turned around towards the sound of his voice, and when she turned around to say good-bye to her new friend, he was not there. She looked around for him, but could not find him anywhere. 

"There you are. I have been looking all over for you!", said a very angry and nervous Jay. He was relieved to find his little sister. He knew that if he returned to the castle without her, it will be his behind on the line. 

Caridwen, sensing the worry he had over her, said "I'm sorry, Jay. I… I got lost." 

Relieved that she was alright, he took his sister's hand and said "Mom and Dad cannot know we were here. You know we will be punished if they find out. Come on, let's go home." 

She nodded, and followed her brother out of the labyrinth, across the goblin city, and into the castle. 

They made their way silently, trying to cross the entrance of the throne room without being noticed, hoping to avoid their father, when they heard a voice "And where you two think you are going?" 

They came to a grinding stop, looking at each other with worry. Jay squeezed his sister's hand, reassuringly, as they made their way to the throne room. Once they got in, they saw that their father and mother were not alone, in fact, they were talking to a young man in his mid twenties. 

Caridwen looked at the young man curiously, he was familiar somehow, but could not remember. Once they entered, three pairs of eyes looked at their direction, and she heard the strange man say "Hi, beautiful! My, you have grown from the last time I saw you!", while he crouched and opened his arms invitingly. 

She remembered the same pair of blue eyes, holding her, making her feel safe and secure. She just smiled, and jerking her hand out of her brother's, she ran, laughing with her arms up in the air, towards the open arms of the stranger. 

As soon as she was next to him, Valkor scooped little Caridwen up in his arms, and gave her a big hug, while twirling around in circles, and saying, "Oh, I've missed you so much! I'm sorry I could not be here before." 

He put her back down on the floor, and before she left his arms, she placed a kiss on his cheek, and ran away towards her mother. Sarah smiled towards her daughter and said, "Valkor, I don't know if you remember our son, Jareth." 

Valkor extended his hand towards the boy, and shaking hands he said, "Taking after your father, I see." 

The boy shook his hand back and politely answered "Thanks.", and looked at his father. 

Looking at his son, Jareth saw the questioning glance at his direction. He could tell Jay just wanted to know who this stranger was, and why was he being so familiar with his sister. 

His father did not look too happy for some reason. Who was this stranger, and why was his sister behaving as she had known him all of her life? 

His sister was rather the shy type, avoiding strangers at all costs. Yet, this stranger acted as he had all the right in the world to treat her as she was a member of his family. 

Jareth talked to his children "Lord Valkor is a friend of the family. He will stay with us for a couple of days." 

During dinner, little Caridwen could not stop looking at Lord Valkor. Her gaze would travel from her plate to Lord Valkor, back and forth. She engaged in conversation with her uncles Hoggle and Didymus, who were sitting on both sides of her, but she always drifted back into his direction. 

Once, he caught her gazing at his direction, and all he did was smile and give her a wink. She smiled back shyly, and concentrated in eating her dinner, ignoring her uncles for once. 

Once dinner was over, the children were excused from the table, so they could get ready for bed. Once they got changed into their pajamas and robes, they made their way to the library, where the adults were talking, to say goodnight. 

They made their way towards their mother first, then their father. The children then said goodnight to their uncles Hoggle, Didymus and Ludo and last, at their guest. Jay gave a courteous nod, but Caridwen just put her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek, while saying "'night". 

They made their way towards their bedrooms, and saying goodnight to each other, they went into their own bedroom. Agnes was waiting for her to tuck her in, like every night. 

While making sure the little princess was comfortable in her bed, she noticed the chain dangling from her neck "What's this, hmmmm? Is very pretty, yes, yes." 

Caridwen said "Yes, isn't it? It was a gift from a friend. I wonder if I will ever see him again…", and yawning she drifted to sleep. 

_She did not know where she was, only that everything around her was dark, and she could hear a woman scream. Then she heard a man say "Take him and go."___

_She could hear the woman respond "No, I won't leave you."___

_She heard the man again "There is no time, go!"___

_She heard a thump and the woman screamed again "Take me instead, but spare him, please!"___

_She heard another thump and some words she could not recognize, and suddenly she saw a bright green light._

She did the only thing she could, she screamed.   


________________________ 

**A/N:** Let me know what you think. Your review is greatly appreciated, is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.   
Please leave a contribution in the little box. 


	6. Dreams

**A/N: ** Well, this is the Part Six of my story. Sorry it took me so long to post, but life has managed to interfere this time. Right now, I'm posting from the beautiful state of GA. 

As I stated before, yes, this is a Labyrinth / Harry Potter crossover, but this series is very light on Potterverse. That is where the second part comes in, Harry Potter and the False Ghost, which is posted under Books, Harry Potter section. WARNING: The Harry Potter story contains spoilers for this series, so if you don't want this to get ruined, don't read!!!! Any Harry Potter questions, please send them with your reviews and I will try to rewrite and explain. I'll try to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. 

Oh, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language, but if you can e-mail me with corrections, it will be greatly appreciated and the fic will be corrected. 

Also, thanks to all of you who reviewed the fifth part of my story: Melissa Davis, Amber (me too, but I figured, both are half Fae, so they have all the time in the world for her to grow up), Kim, the Manipulative Little Monster, bunnylove160 (yep, read the A/N above), and ~*Sliver Wolf*~. 

Oh, and if you read, please review. Be gentle but honest, even flames are accepted. Finally, I'll stop my rambling (never thought this Author's Notes would end!). 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize.. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  
  


**Part 6**   


Sarah and Jareth were walking to their bedchambers when they heard a bone-chilling scream coming from their daughter's bedroom. Sarah ran to her daughter, who was till screaming and sobbing in her bed. 

She sat down next to her, and wrapping her arms around her, she started calming her down, stroking her hair and speaking very calmly, "Shh, it's okay, sweetie. It was just a nightmare, mommy's here." 

Calming down, Caridwen looked at her mother, and said "Mommy, I'm scared, but I don't remember my bad dream." 

Caridwen noticed that someone else was in her room as well, and looked up, "Hi, daddy." 

Jareth sat on the other side of the bed, and giving his daughter a hug asked "Are you feeling better now? It sounds like you had a very ugly nightmare." 

The little princess nodded her head, and she let herself be tucked in by her parents. They both gave her a kiss, and her father said "Goodnight, sweetheart." 

She responded between yawns "'Night, mommy and daddy.", and fell asleep. Luckily, her sleep was dreamless for the rest of the night. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

She woke up again in the middle of the night, with the nightmare. She had that same nightmare at least once a week since she was three, but for the last two weeks she was having it once every night. 

At least she didn't wake up screaming anymore, probably she got so used to it, but there was something different this time. She still couldn't remember the nightmare completely, just the feeling of fear and a bright green light. 

But the part that she remembered very clearly was that after the bright light, everything went dark again, but she could see a pair of bright green eyes looking at her, and the voice of the Labyrinth whispering, "He is your destiny…." 

Knowing that it was too late to go back to sleep, but too early to get up, she conjured a crystal with a flick of her hand, and looking into it, she said, "Show me the Wise Man." 

The image inside the crystal fogged for a second, to then reveal the inside of the Wise Man's cottage. She could see him going through some pieces of parchment, books spread all over the cottage. 

She smiled, remembering the first time she met him and his hat, Pepe. She met him again some weeks later, and as time passed, he started teaching her lots of things. 

When she was four, she was able to conjure magic crystals at will, something that normal Fae children could not accomplish until they were around eight years old. He insisted that the early development of her gift must be kept a secret, which disappointed her, she really wanted her father to show her the use of magic. 

The Wise Man explained that her magic was very different from her father's. Yes, she had Fae magic, being her father's daughter, but he said that she harvested a very special magic of her own. 

That was when she began learning to control her magic, around three years ago. When she turned five, it was more difficult to go and see the Wise Man, as she was assigned a tutor, just like her brother was when he turned five. 

Since the Wise Man was already awake, she decided it would do no harm speaking to him, so she walked to the mirror in her room, and waving her hand over it, she said, "Morath? I need to speak with you." 

The Wise Man appeared in her mirror, his kind face smiling at her. He said "Good morning, Princess. What can I do for you today?" 

Caridwen sighed and said "I had the dream again today, but it was different this time. There was something more than just the bright green light." 

The Wise Man arched an eyebrow and all he said was "Oh?" 

Looking nervously at the door she said "I don't want to talk about it here. I'll try sneaking to the cottage later, probably after my weapons lesson." 

The wise man nodded and said "Very well, I will be waiting for you here." The hat looked at her and said "Have a good day, princesita." 

She smiled and said "Good bye to you too, Pepe. I'll see you later." 

Waving her hand in front of the mirror, they disappeared, leaving only her reflection. Doing a mental check of her schedule for the day, she groaned. She had a full day today. The morning consisted of English literature, followed by History, Math, and finally Weapons. 

She smiled, she was getting better in handling a bow than her brother, and she was rather good in using a sword, even at her tender age of seven. Even that she was so young, she was sure that it will be only a matter of time when she would be able to handle a sword as good as her father, who was an excellent swordsman. 

Jareth insisted that the children be proficient in the use of weapons, saying that you never knew when those skills would come useful. Sarah had frowned at that decision in the beginning, but she knew he was right, even her had taken a course in sword fighting and was very good at using a bow and arrow. 

In the afternoon, her brother will study magic with her father, while she had to be stuck learning etiquette, which bored her to tears. With a mischievous grin, she started planning her escape. If she sneaked out right after lunch, she could go to Morath's cottage and skip etiquette all together. 

Looking all over her drawers, she finally found what she was looking for. Some of her brother's old clothes: black trousers, a white shirt, and black riding boots. Wearing pants was so much easier than a dress when sneaking out. 

Besides, she could pretend she was a boy while wearing the hat that was hiding in her other drawer, and no one would know she was in fact the Goblin Princess. 

She was lucky so far, never being caught by her father. She could imagine her father's reaction if he found out that she was sneaking out of the castle wearing boy's clothing, and knew it would not be pretty. 

She could not wait to be eight, when she could pretend to start developing magic, and be able to transport herself to the cottage. If she tried to do that now, her father would sense the use of magic from an unknown source, and could probably trace it to her. 

For now, she could get away using the mirrors and creating the crystals, as her father had put a spell on her mirror, and she had a crystal that he gave her, in case she needed to find any family member. 

She put the clothes back into the drawer with a smile on her face, and proceeded to get ready for breakfast. She washed her face and was brushing her teeth, when she saw Agnes coming in to draw her bath. 

"Good morning, Agnes. Could you get a dress out for me? Preferably one that can hide trousers and riding boots. Also, leave my shirt and hat in the usual place, you can pick up the dress there later." 

Agnes shook her head, and said "Sneaking out again, hmmmm? Going to see your friend Morath, yes?" 

Cari smiled and said "Yes, I need to talk to him. I had the dream again, but I remember more of it, for some reason." 

Agnes left the bathroom mumbling the likes of "…that girl is going to get into trouble one of this days…", making the princess smile as the goblin woman closed the door behind her. 

She quickly took her bath, and after drying herself, went to the bedroom, where a dress was laying on top of the bed, and a pair of matching slippers was at the end of her bed. She quickly dressed, and sat in front of her vanity mirror. 

As she was untangling her hair, Agnes came back, "The things are where you wanted them. I just hope you remember to come back early today, yes?" 

The princess looked at her maid with curiosity and asked "Why do I want to come early today?" 

The old goblin maid smiled and said "Your father will tell you when is time. Now, let me fix your hair. I will put it up, so is easier for you to wear under the hat." 

Once her hair was up in an elaborated ponytail, she proceeded to go to the dining room for breakfast. Once there she saw that her father and brother were already there, "Good morning, Dad, Jay. Where's mom?" 

Jareth looked at her daughter. She was still a child, but she was turning out to be as beautiful as her mother. He smiled when she approached him to give him her customary good morning kiss, and said "She is in the kitchen talking to the cook, ordering the meal for tonight." 

Caridwen frowned, she didn't remember anything special for tonight, "What is so special about tonight?" 

Her brother gave a sneer as he sat down on the table, and said "Nothing special, just your boyfriend coming for a visit." 

She smiled at the news, "Val is coming? When? Why didn't you told me before?" 

Jareth looked at his daughter, not pleased at all that she liked the guy chosen for her from day one, since she was a tiny baby. Still annoyed, he answered her, "First of all, his name is Valkor, not Val. He may be your fiancé, but he is still your elder, so treat him with respect. Second of all, he is solving a problem in the gnome kingdom, so he is visiting just for tonight. That's why your mother insisted on a special dinner in his honor. Now, let's change the subject. How is school?" 

Jay and Caridwen looked at each other and Jay said "We have weapons training today. We get to practice shooting at the bulls eye, and then sword fighting." 

Caridwen looked at her father and said "Remind me again why do I have to take etiquette lessons?" 

Jareth looked at his daughter, an eyebrow raised "So you learn to behave as a lady. That's the compromise I made with your mother so you could take weapons training just like your brother. Besides, is good for you, sometimes you behave too much like a boy for your own good." 

She was mad at her father, stabbing her eggs forcefully with her fork before putting them in her mouth, all while thinking 'Act like a boy, do I? Oh, father dear, you have no idea. Want me to behave like a lady? I'll be the perfect lady tonight. Just wait and see. Val will be impressed, and hopefully, so will you.' 

Sarah walked in at that moment, looking at her family eating breakfast, "You better hurry kids, or you will be late for your first lesson." 

Jay just gulped his juice at one time, and mischievously said to his sister, "Last one to the library is a Bog's fish.", giving a quick kiss to his mother and sprinting down the hallway. 

Cari looked at his brother in bewilderment, "That's not fair! You'll pay for that Jay!" 

She gulped her juice also, and just like her brother, gave a quick kiss to her mother, and started running down the hallways, all the way yelling "Cheater!" 

As soon as she made it to the library, she glared at her brother and said to him I a whisper, so only he could hear "You are so dead! You cheated and you know it!" 

They heard someone clearing his throat, and they sat straight into their chairs, looking forwards, both of them saying at the same time, "Good morning, Professor Gralgen." 

The morning classes were boring as usual, both siblings fighting the desire to go to sleep. Cari whispered to her brother "How long until Weapons training?" 

Her brother responded back "Too long.", getting a giggle in response that made him laugh as well. 

The sound of a ruler slamming on their table snapped them back to reality, looking at a very serious and angry Professor Gralgen. The professor looked at them through narrowed eyes, and said "Can anyone of you tell me what where the events precluding the Great Nothingness? Prince Jareth, Princess Caridwen? No? I thought so. I want a report on that for tomorrow." 

Both of them groaned, and Jay said "Great, homework the same say of the party." 

The professor looked back at them "Did you said anything, young Prince?" 

Afraid of receiving more homework, Jay shook his head and said "Report, first thing in the morning, check." 

The Professor continued with the History lesson "The Great Nothingness was a period of great sadness and fear in the Underground. Everything in the Underground started disappearing, without leaving a trace, just nothingness. The nothingness was defeated by a great Wizard from Earth." 

This got their attention as they were dozing off again, now listening carefully to their professor, "The magic of the Underground could not be used against this nothingness. He was able to defeat this with the help of three others. The Underground will be always grateful to Godric Griffindor and his associates: Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Their combined forces saved our realm from total destruction as darkness…" 

Caridwen didn't know why, but she had the feeling that this information will be useful to her in the future, so for the first time in a long time, she actually paid attention to the history lesson. 

It finally came the time for weapons training. The two siblings walked outside the castle to the gardens. Their weapons instructor was a former knight from Earth, as the Goblin King insisted that his children learned to use their weapons without the assistance of magic. 

Needless to say, the Goblin King and Queen had a hard time trying to explain to Sir Didymus why he was not chosen as their weapons instructor. Truth of the matter was that separate from the spear that he always uses, they had never seen him use any other kind of weapon. 

When they arrived in their designated practice area in the gardens, they greeted their instructor. They could see two bows with arrows waiting for them on top of a bench, as well as two small swords. Also, far away, they could see targets, that probably they needed to hit with their arrows. 

They practiced the use of the bow and arrow on their designated targets, Jay missing only one, while his sister got a perfect record. When they were finished, she was making a little victory dance, "I did it! I hit all the targets. Yeah!" 

The prince, a little annoyed, said "How about a rematch?" 

She smiled, she could not step away from a challenge, just like her brother; they were both very competitive, and she answered the challenge, "You're on." 

They went about hitting the targets all over again, this time making sure that the arrows went into the center as much as possible. This time, they ended up in a tie. 

They were going to start an argument, when their weapons instructor separated them and said "Save that energy for sword practice. Each of you grab your sword, and go into position." 

They started fighting, and even that her brother was bigger than her, she defended herself as well as she could. Finally, Jay gave a blow to his sister's sword with his own, and sent it flying across the area. Very smugly, he smiled and said "I win." 

Caridwen, who was not a happy camper even knowing from the beginning that he would win as he was bigger and stronger, just said "For now." 

Jay, sensing that his sister was fuming, passed an arm around her shoulders, and giving her a squeeze said, "You did a great job today. I really had a hard time trying to defeat you. You are definitely getting better." 

Her face beamed up and said "Really?" 

He nodded and said "Yeah. Hey let's go to lunch, I'm starving!" 

They made their way into the castle, and before entering the dining room, Caridwen gave her brother a big hug "Thanks, Jay." 

He just smiled to wards his little sister and said "You're welcome. Come on.", and grabbing his sister's hand, they went into the dining room. 

Their parents were already waiting for them, and Caridwen said "Do you mind if I go wash my hands and face really quick? I feel dirty and sweaty." 

Sarah nodded and said "Sure, sweetheart. But be quick." 

Caridwen just nodded and ran towards her bedroom. She just had the time to put on her trousers and riding boots under her dress and wash before she could arise suspicion of what was taking her so long. 

When she went into her room, she saw the old pair of trousers on top of her bed.. The riding boots were at the feet of the bed. 

Kicking her slippers in the air, she put on the trousers and boots, and then she ran into the bathroom washing her hands and face really quick. 

She ran her way back to the dining room, stopping in front of the closed doors. She gathered herself, ad went inside. After lunch, se excused herself from the table, while saying "I need to get ready for my next lesson." 

Closing the dining room doors behind her, she ran to the gardens, and going to the little hedge maze inside, she stopped in a particular corner. There, she took her dress off and put on the blouse that was waiting for her, as well as the hat. She put the dress into the hiding place, and sprinted into the forest. 

As soon as she arrived in the cottage, she called her friend "Morath?" 

She heard an "Over here." 

Looking for her friend in the piles of books that were all over the small cottage, she found him in the sitting room. He motioned for her to sit down, which she did quickly. 

He looked at her with curiosity "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about so urgently?" 

Caridwen explained "I had the same dream last night again. This time I remembered more. After the green light, I saw a pair of green eyes looking at me, and the voice of the Labyrinth saying that he is my destiny. Why would the Labyrinth say that?" 

The Wise Man sighed, and proceeded to tell her about the legend, "There is a legend from long ago, that says that the Goblin King's direct descendant will bring back the protector of the Underground. This means that dark days are coming, and without this protector, the Underground will cease to exist. The way of knowing who this descendant was encased in a special amethyst, which will glow when the searcher has been found. It is the amethyst you wear around your neck. The day you were born, we asked if you were the chosen one, and the amethyst glowed for the first time, and has ever since." 

Caridwen looked at the Wise Man with eyes wide open with surprise, "So what you are saying is that I have to look for this person? And how will I know who this person is?" 

The Wise man sighed, and the hat said "Sometimes it is so obvious, you don't see it. Aren't you here because of some strange dreams you are having?" 

Caridwen looked at the bird hat and said "Pepe, you are right! The dreams are pointing me to him." 

The Wise Man opened his eyes in surprised and said "And how do you know is a he? Could be a girl." 

Caridwen said "I don't know how I know, but I know is a male." 

Closing his eyes, he replied "Very well. Let's try a little exercise. Close your eyes, and concentrate in the eyes you remember. Let any other thoughts on your mind clear. Just concentrate on those eyes, and tell me what you see." 

Caridwen relaxed and closed her eyes. She did as instructed, emptying her mind of any thoughts and concentrating on the green eyes of her dream. After a while, her face went pale and she opened her eyes with a gasp. 

"What did you see?", asked Morath. 

With a confused expression, she said "Just lightning." 

With a worried expression she asked "What time is it?" 

He looked at her with curiosity, and looking at his clock he said "Is going to be two thirty. Why?" 

With an apologetic expression, she answered, "I have to go. Valkor is coming for dinner tonight, and I need to get ready." 

He asked her "Why you like him so much when is obvious that your family is not thrilled with the idea?" 

Caridwen frowned in concentration for a moment, and said "I never knew why, but I think I do now. Somehow, I know he will help me find the one I'm looking for."   
  
  
  


________________________ 

**A/N:** Let me know what you think. Your review is greatly appreciated, is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks.   
Please leave a contribution in the little box.   



	7. Destiny unfolds......

**A/N: ** Yay, this is Part Seven of my story. After doing the tourist thing in Atlanta yesterday, I felt inspired and finished this bit in little under two hours. As you can guess, I'm still posting from the beautiful state of GA - The Peach State ^_^ (I think it was the peach soda I drank yesterday in Coca Cola) 

In this part, the Labyrinth / Harry Potter crossover becomes more apparent, but I tried to explain everything as much as I could. If you still have questions, let me know, and I will try to fix it or e-mail you with answers. I'm trying to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. 

Also, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language, but if you can e-mail me with corrections, it will be greatly appreciated and the fic will be corrected and re-posted. 

Many thanks to those of you who reviewed Part 6: Amber (When are you going to post the next part of Say The Words? You are killing me here!!!), Kim, The Manipulative Little Monster (Hope you get your monitor soon, I miss chatting with ya!!!), Mara Trinity Scully (Thanks, is people like you who makes it worth to continue writing), Sadie (Aren't you glad you did? Now you have more fics to read and enjoy! ::evil grin::), ~*Sliver Wolf*~ (thanks for your support, like it when I have regular reviewers), and Caitlyn (I'm glad you are liking this). 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize.. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  
  
  
  


**Part 7**   


Caridwen was running frantically towards the castle "Oh, I'm really late this time. If mom or dad find out, they are going to kill me. I hope Lady Katherine will be able to stall them." 

Going through the main doors of the castle, she was looking out, making sure she was not seen. She was about to open the door to the sewing room, where she took her Etiquette lessons, when a voice behind her said "And where were you, and dressed like a boy, no less?" 

She froze in place, recognizing the angry sound of her father's voice. She thought "Oh, oh, I'm in big trouble now." 

She turned around, back plastered to the door "Um, hi daddy. Just playing a joke on Lady Katherine." 

The Goblin King arched an eyebrow, and crossing his arms said "Oh, really? And why were not at your lesson earlier today? Valkor came earlier than expected and wanted to see you, but we couldn't find you anywhere. I had to look for you through the crystals. Imagine my surprise when I saw you in the Wise Man's cottage." 

Her heart fell to her stomach when she heard that last part. Her own father had found her out. The only way to get out with a less severe punishment was if she told her father the truth, "I can explain, daddy. Can we discuss this inside, please?" 

Knowing that his daughter was right, he motioned for her to go inside the room, closing the doors behind him. Crossing his arms once again, he said "Well?" 

Swallowing and then taking a deep breath, she sat down in one of the sofas and proceeded to tell her father about the recurring nightmares, the new part of the nightmare, how she could talk to the labyrinth, and her mastery of magic. Last, but not least, she said, "And that's not all. I also know about the legend of the searcher. Is me, that's the reason for my nightmares." 

In the middle of her tale, Jareth had sat down next to her, hearing what she had to say. Frowning, he said, "But how can you know that you are the one? I remember something about some kind of signal, but I can't remember. I should have paid more attention when I was told about this." 

Caridwen opened her eyes, she forgot to tell him about that, "Um, dad, do you mean this?", showing him her pendant with the glowing amethyst. 

Stunned, he took the amethyst in his hand, and asked, "Where did you got this?" 

Cari smiled and said "Morath, I mean, the Wise Man gave it to me when I was three years old. He said that the amethyst has been glowing since the day of my birth, when it was asked if I was the chosen one. He has been helping me learn to control my magic." 

A mixture of anger and jealousy crossed the Goblin King's face when he took his daughter in his arms and said "Sweetheart, you should have come to me. I can teach you to control your magic." 

She just looked at him and said, "I wanted to, but Morath said that it would be better if he taught me first, because my kind of magic is much different than yours. I think he was right, he taught me how to communicate with Labyrinth, how to be guided by my instincts, also how to concentrate to interpret my visions, and try to get more information about them. Besides, you are always so busy taking care of the kingdom, I did not want to be another problem for you." 

He gave her a kiss on her forehead, and taking her chin with his hand he said, "Listen to me, Caridwen. You will never, ever be a problem for me. Never think that. Is that clear?" 

Cari just nodded, and hugged her father "I love you, daddy." 

Smile forming at the corner of his mouth, he turned serious, and said, "Still, this does not excuse you from leaving without telling anyone where you were going, not attending a class, and dress up as a boy in public. You know you still have to be punished." 

Caridwen, her eyes fixed on the floor, nodded solemnly, "What is my punishment?" 

Jareth stood up, pacing the room with hands on his chin, concentrating on the problem at hand. What could be a suitable punishment for this situation? An idea struck him, and smiling turned back to his daughter, who he could tell was nervous and at least a bit frightened. 

Jareth passed sentence "I will not take away weapons lessons, because they are important. You will also start getting magic lessons with me, after you finish your double Etiquette lessons. I am being generous, but if I find out that you skip another lesson, no matter which one, I will not be so generous next time. Oh, and before I forget, you are also confined to stay inside the castle for the next month. Is that clear?" 

A very nervous Caridwen responded, "Yes, father." 

With a smirk, he dismissed her, "Now, go to your room and get yourself presentable. Make sure that you look and act like the princess you are." 

She quickly turned on her heels outside the room, and before reaching the door, she turned around, "Does this mean that I'm allowed to use magic inside the castle?" 

Jareth half closed his eyes, wondering what his daughter had on her mind this time, "Yes, why?" 

Just smiling, she answered "I guess I'll see you in a little bit.", disappearing in front of him in the midst of glitter. 

Reappearing in the middle of her room, she heard Agnes scream, startled by her sudden and unexpected appearance in her bedchambers. 

She smiled, "Sorry to startle you, Agnes, but I'm in a hurry. Val is already here, and I need to bathe and change clothes." 

Agnes just mumbled, and said "Your dress is already out, and the bath is almost prepared. I was expecting you a bit sooner." 

Sarah grimaced, and said "I would have been here sooner, but Dad caught me. I had to confess everything, but my punishment was not as bad as it could have been. Now I get double the lessons for Etiquette, and study magic with my father. Also, I can't get out of the castle for a month." 

Once she got bathed and dressed, Caridwen went into the study, were she knew she would find her parents and Valkor. When she opened the door, three pairs of eyes looked at her direction. Sarah looked at her daughter, and said "Cari, since dinner is not going to be ready until half an hour later, why don't you show our guest the gardens?" 

Caridwen just nodded, and Valkor offered his arm, "Milady, whenever you are ready." 

She just smiled at him, and taking his arm, she led him to the gardens. Once they were out of earshot, Valkor said "I heard you got caught skipping a class because of me. I am so sorry." 

She smiled at him, and said "Don't worry, is my fault. I shouldn't have skipped Etiquette, even if it the most boring class in the world. Now I get double Etiquette every day, and after that, magic lessons with father." 

Valkor looked at her, and said "You don't go to a school to learn magic?" 

She shook her head and said, "No, my father has been teaching Jay for a while, and now me. Did you went to a school?" 

He smiled at her, and sitting down on a bench with her next to him, he answered, "Yes, I did. In the wizarding world, when a young witch or wizard turns eleven years old, He or she receives a letter from a wizarding school that summer, announcing the commencement of the school year, materials required and such." 

Looking at him in amazement, she asked "And you have to go to the school that writes to you?" 

He shook his head, and continued, "No, when you are announced that you have been accepted in a school, you can choose not to attend that school, and enroll in another one. You have to send a reply by owl either way if you accept or not." 

As soon as she heard the word "owl" her head snapped to his direction, and with surprise she said "Did you say owl?" 

He simply stated "Yes, owls are used in the wizarding world as a mean of communication. The owls are very proud that they can send a letter to anyone, anywhere, without getting lost. Not all owls can be in the owl post. This owls are very special." 

Caridwen locked this information in her mind for later review. She asked him, "So, what wizarding school did you went to?" 

Proudly, he said, "I went to the best school there is in the wizarding world, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Is not only the best, is also a boarding school. That means that you get immersed in your magical studies 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the school year. You get to go home during the winter break, and the summer break." 

She was curious about this school idea now, "But how can you live with so many people at the same time? You share a huge common bathroom, a common bedroom, how can you handle that?" 

He chuckled at the idea, and then explained "That is not how it works at all. When you enter the school for the first time, you get sorted into four different houses. The houses are named for the founders of the school, the four most powerful wizards and witches of their time: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Griffindor and Ravenclaw. I happened to be a Slytherin. 

Once you get sorted, you live in your house and share a dormitory with the members of your same year. Girls and boys dormitories are separate from each other, of course. There is a common room, where you get to interact with the members of your house from different years. You also take classes with a group from another house in your same year, so you get to know a lot of people in your school." 

Caridwen could not stop the nagging feeling that there was something that she should remember, but could not put her finger on it. Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought, knowing that it will come back to her later. Now, she was hungry, and wanted to eat. 

So looking at her fiancé, she said "I think is time for us to go back. I hope that dinner is ready, I'm starving." 

He smiled, and said "Me too. I would have told you to go sneak in the kitchen with me to see what's for dinner, but I don't want to make your father angrier at you." 

She smiled sadly, and said "Thanks, Val.", then added something her mother said "Is the thought that counts." 

Giving a goodhearted laugh, he stood up, and offered his arm to her, which she immediately accepted and they went into the castle. The idea of a school to learn magic still intrigued her. She would love to go to a school like that, but shaking her head, she dismissed those thoughts, that would never happen. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

"Merry Christmas, uncle Toby!", a pair of kids said, the oldest, with hair golden as a wheat field and mismatched eyes, and the younger one, with hair like dark chocolate, and blue-gray eyes. 

Toby Williams smiled at the scene that greeted him when he opened the door of his flat. His niece and nephew threw themselves at him. Bracing himself for impact, he scooped her with one arm, picking her up, and messing his nephew's hair with the other. Still smiling he said "And how are my little monsters doing?" 

He got laughing mixed with the word "Good." in response. Then he looked at his older sister, "Hi Sarah, come in. Where's big J?", looking around for the Goblin King. 

Sarah smiled and said "He needed to take care of some business first. He said he should be here soon.", 

She gave him a big hug, she hasn't seen her brother since he started touring with the theatrical company. How ironic, that the one to pursue an acting career was her brother instead of her. Now, he was back in London, where he was practicing to become the new Phantom. 

Closing the door behind him, he just said "My, you guys are big! You are almost as tall as I am, Jay. How old are you? 

Jay answered "Just fourteen. And before you start, I know about my voice.", making his little sister giggle. 

His voice started changing recently, so he still was having problems with his voice going out from a deep voice, to a high voice. Of course, his little sister could not resist to make fun of him any time she could. 

Toby smiled in understanding, and said "Don't worry, I understand. I was also the butt of the jokes from your parents when my voice started changing, which was not long after they got married." 

"I seem to recall those days as well, squeaker", said a melodious voice behind them. The kids looked back, and Caridwen went to his side saying, "Dad, you made it!" 

Looking at his daughter, he said "Of course, I would not miss this for the world. Is your uncle's dayview as the Phantom of the Opera." 

Looking at his brother in law, he said "How are you Toby? How was your world tour?" 

Making a face, Toby answered, "It was exciting, but after a while it gets kind of boring. I'm glad I'm back home. Never thought I would miss this little flat so much. Do you have any plans right now? I need to stop at the theater for about an hour or so, but you can come with me, and take a walk around London while you wait for me." 

Sarah looked at her husband, who had changed into more normal clothes, black jeans, black leather boots, a dark beige sweater, and a black leather jacket. His hair was also tied up in a ponytail. 

She had made the kids change before they left, Cari being the happiest about it, jeans being a welcomed change from all the dresses she wore. After being caught sneaking out of the castle three years ago, Caridwen made sure that she behaved like the perfect lady, but she knew her daughter inherited her temper, as well as her father's. 

Sarah wouldn't be surprised if she found out that her daughter still sneaked out of the castle, but was more careful this time. She also knew that she still "borrowed" some of her brother's clothes to do it, but what the king doesn't know, won't hurt the princess. 

They went to take the tube, and as soon as she saw the sign, Caridwen commented "I think I like this place already.", earning a chuckle from her father, while she was still pointing to the sign that said "Underground". 

They left Toby at the theater, and they started walking around the streets of London. Caridwen was looking at everything with curiosity and awe. They passed couple of libraries, a music shop, and then she noticed some people with strange clothes. 

They actually were wearing some kind of robes and pointed hats. And most curious, all of them were going inside that establishment that any other person who was dressed normally seemed to ignore it, or were not aware of it's presence. 

A strange sensation overcame her when she read the sign with the establishment's name "The Leaky Cauldron". Something was telling her to go inside. 

She squeezed her father's hand to get his attention, and pointing to the place, she asked "Why are those people dressed so funny? And why are they going there, looks like no one else can see that place." 

Taken aback by his daughter's questions, he stopped, and looking at the direction she was pointing, narrowed his eyes, and asked "What people, and what place, sweetheart?" 

Exhaling in frustration, she pointed again, "There, the people in the funny robes and hats getting into that place, The Leaky Cauldron." 

It was his turn to be surprised, "You can see that?" 

Caridwen looked at her father "You can see that too, right?" 

He said "Yes, I can, but I doubt your mother or your brother can. Because of my involvement with Gringotts, I am allowed to see certain things that are remained hidden for everyone else. But if you can see it by yourself, that means…", and he trailed off, looking at his daughter very seriously. 

Seeing her father's reaction, she was getting nervous, "That means what, dad? Please tell me, you are getting me nervous." 

Still looking at his daughter, he said "I don't know how is this possible, but sweetheart, I think you are a witch." 

________________________ 

**A/N:** Ok, people, what do you think? Let me know with your reviews. It is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks. 

As Pepe would say: "Please leave a contribution in the little box." ^_^ 


	8. Diagon Alley

**A/N: ** Finally, I finished Part Eight. Sorry it took so long to get here. I was on a roll, and then came to a screeching halt, realizing that now the crossover is going to be more intense, and my reference book is 300+ miles away. Believe me, it was not pretty. So, I caved in and bought a paperback edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This part is very large, I just kept writing and writing, and realized that I had to stop somewhere. 

In this part, the Labyrinth / Harry Potter crossover is in full swing, but I tried to explain everything as much as I could. If you still have questions, let me know, and I will try to fix it or e-mail you with answers. I'm trying to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. 

Also, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language, but if you can e-mail me with corrections, it will be greatly appreciated and the fic will be corrected and re-posted. Anyone wants to volunteer for Beta Reader? 

Many thanks to those of you who reviewed Part 7: Melissa Davis (Thanks for your ideas and plot bunnies, they helped a lot!!!), Mara Trinity Scully (Let's see if you find the not so hidden clue in here ::evil grin::), Usagui Tsukino (I know, this has taken me forever!), Sara Beth (Thanks, and I hope you enjoy this one as well), ~*Sliver Wolf*~ (Is finally here, and extra large. ^_^), Caitlyn (Sorry about that, but I hope this makes up for it!), Sadie (Thanks for your support, love when I convert people to labyrinth! hehe...), and last but not least, Kim, The Manipulative Little Monster (You are back!!!! I definetely need to talk to you this week... I'll email you later. ^_^) 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize.. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  
  
  
  


**Part 8**   
  


Sarah looked at her husband, perplexed "What do you mean, she is a witch? How can that be possible?" 

Jareth sighed, trying to calm his wife down, "All I know is that she was able to see the passage way to the wizarding town in London, and the only ones capable of doing that are witches and wizards." 

Sarah inhaled deeply, trying to find a logical explanation for her daughter's behavior after returning from London the day before. "And what is all this nonsense she has been rambling about Hog, Hog…" 

Jareth looked at his wife, "Hogwarts?" 

Sarah looked at her husband, half closed eyes, "So you know what that is?" 

He nodded, "Is the best magic school in the wizarding world." 

She looked at her husband, "Magic school? Our daughter gets to go to magic school? Is that all?" 

Jareth knew this part was coming, and that this was the one she was going to be opposed the most, "Well, there is a little detail. This is not like a school you are used to go, this is a boarding school." 

Sarah stopped her pacing and turned around to face him, "A what? You mean to tell me that we only get to see her during Christmas and summer?" 

He looked straight at his wife, mismatched eyes meeting hazel ones, "Basically, yes." 

"And you are going to let her do this?", her voice showing faint signs of resignation. 

Standing behind his wife, he wrapped his arms around her, and said, "She needs to do this. If she did not wanted to go, she wouldn't. But that is all she has been talking about since I said that she might be a witch. If it makes you feel better, I will talk to Valkor and get all the information we can about the school. After all, he went there when he turned eleven." 

Leaning back to her husband, she said "So we have her until this summer, and we won't see her again until the next winter. We need to treasure this moments, she will grow fast, and we won't be there to see it." 

They just stood there, watching their children play in the gardens from the balcony, oblivious of the discussion their parents had just moments ago. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
The only sound that could be heard was the sound of metal clashing with metal. Jumping skillfully out of the way of the blade, Caridwen blocked the incoming blow with her own sword. It was her turn to retaliate, when she noticed her brother making a minuscule mistake, giving her a small advantage, which she was going to take at all costs. 

Clashing her sword with her brother's, she made a circular movement, throwing the sword off her brother's hands into the air. With a triumphant look, she placed the tip of her sword in his throat. With a smug grin, just like her father's, she announced "I win." 

Jay slumped his head, for the first time he had been defeated by his little sister. She was actually as good or slightly better than him, considering that he was bigger and stronger at fifteen than her almost eleven years. 

Caridwen was so happy, she started laughing and dancing as soon as her brother admitted defeat, "I did it! I beat you, fair and square. Oh, I can't wait to tell dad about this! ", taking her brother in her arms, making him dance with her. He grabbed her by the waist, and started twirling her in circles. 

Caridwen, in the middle of laughter, said "Stop Jay, you are making me dizzy." 

Jay was smiling, "Not until you agree on a rematch." 

Still laughing, she said "Are you kidding? And spoil my victory? No way!" 

She was looking towards the sky, when she saw a dark speck flying towards the castle. She immediately sobered up, her brother noticing the change in mood, stopped, and said "Cari? What's wrong?" 

She did not say anything, but kept looking at the sky, and looking at her brother, turned around and started running inside the castle. Jay, not knowing what happened to his sister, followed her, catching up with her in the throne room, where her parents had just finished having an audience just minutes before. 

Seeing the somber look on their daughter's face, the Goblin Queen asked, "Cari, sweetheart, are you alright?" Her daughter just looked nervously towards the window, as if expecting something to come through there. To her surprise, an enormous brown owl came through the window, perching on the window's ledge, picking up its leg, a letter attached to it. 

Caridwen went to the owl and untied the letter, and with a flick of her wrist made appear a bowl of water, and a plate with left over bacon from breakfast. Hooting happily, the owl set up to eat, while she looked at the envelope, which was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the writing in it a bright emerald green, which said: 

* * *

  
  
  


Miss Caridwen Blantyre

The Throne Room   
The Castle Beyond the Goblin City   
Underground   


* * *

  
  


She turned around to open it, and noticed a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms: a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter H. She broke the seal, took out the letter, which was made out of the same yellowish parchment, and started reading the letter:   


* * *

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**   
**of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

Headmistress: Leona Hargitay   
_(Order of Morgan La Fay, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Witch,_   
_Magnanimous Mugwump, International Confed. Of Witches)_ __

> > > > > > > Dear Miss Blantyre, 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Term begins on September 1, 1674. We await your owl by no later than July 31, current year. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Yours sincerely, 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Thomas Guilfoyle
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Thomas Guilfoyle,   
_Deputy Headmaster_   


* * *

As she finished reading, her face lit up, and holding the letter close to her, she started screaming "I'm in, I'm in!". 

Excitedly, she showed her letter to her parents, which were quiet while her daughter read the letter. As soon as he finished reading the letter, he frowned at the contents, and arching an eyebrow, he murmured "I wonder how they found out my name?". 

Looking at his daughter, he said, "Caridwen, do you realize what the letter says? You are going to Hogwarts, in 1674. That is more than 300 years in Earth's past." 

Looking at her father, she smiled and said, "I know, that's when Val lives." 

Noticing the looks that her parents gave her, she said "I thought you knew that Val is from the past. He doesn't wear those clothes just to fit in, those are his regular clothes."   
  
Making parchment, quill and ink appear, she said, "Dad, you are going to send a reply, right? It will be the same, I will still come home for summer and Christmas, just that I will not only will be in a different place, but a different time. You know I need to do this. Please?" 

Against his better judgement, he scribbled a reply to the school, saying that she will be attending Hogwarts. He gave the note back to his daughter, who addressed the letter to the Deputy Headmaster, and tied it to the owl, who was waiting for a response letter. 

As soon as the owl took off, still very excited, she kissed her parents, and skipping to leave the throne room, said "I'm going to write Val a letter telling him the good news. I'm in, I can't believe it! I'm actually going to Hogwarts!" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After they were done with dessert, and all the plates were taken, Valkor was still trying to convince the Goblin King to let his daughter go out to Diagon Alley with him the next day. 

"Is not a problem for me, I insist. Besides, I'm looking forward to welcome her into my world, as you so graciously have opened yours to me, Your Majesties. It is the least I could do, and it will also give me a chance to spend some quality time with Caridwen, to share the many things we have in common." A nervous Valkor was looking expectantly at the reaction of the Goblin King and Queen. 

As soon as the letter from Caridwen arrived, he had been looking forward to show her the wizarding world, which she would have been part of when she married him, but now she was part of it by her own merit. 

He wrote to her asking if he could take her to buy her school supplies at Diagon Alley, the London wizarding town. She wrote back, saying that probably it would be better if he asked in person, she was not sure that she could convince them by herself. Which brings him to this point. 

Hands on chin, the Goblin king kept looking at his future son in law with narrowed eyes. He did had a point, he knew where everything was, after all, it was his world. 

After consulting mentally with his wife, he said "Very well, but you must bring her back by dinner time. More than that, and you will be grounded, young lady.", addressing his daughter, who was sitting next to the young wizard. 

Caridwen smiled, she had been holding Valkor's hand while waiting for their response, and releasing it, she stood up and hugged her father and mother, saying, "Thanks, dad. I promise you will not regret this. Thanks mom.", giving her a kiss. 

Looking at Valkor, she said "I guess that means we will have to leave early tomorrow." 

He nodded, and said "Our first stop will be Gringotts, and if I'm not mistaken, they open at eight thirty, so I guess we should leave around eight o'clock." 

A smile creeping in the corner of his mouth at the mention of the bank, Jareth produced a crystal ball, and said "Caridwen, I have a very important gift for you." 

Curious, she stepped closer to her father and asked, "What is it, father?" 

The crystal started glowing, until the light turned in a sudden burst so bright it was blinding, and then a small golden key was in its place, hanging from a very delicate golden chain. 

Looking seriously to his daughter, he said. "You must never, ever loose this key. This is the key to your vault in Gringotts. Even as they will recognize you as the princess, they won't let you in unless you have your key. Is that understood?" 

Caridwen nodded in understanding, knowing the trust and the responsibility he deposited in her. 

Jareth, still smiling, looked at his daughter, "Now, do you remember the wizarding money system?" 

Caridwen nodded and recited just as she learned when she was five "The wizarding money are made of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. Seventeen silver Sickles to a golden Galleon, and twenty-nine bronze Knuts to a silver Sickle.", making his father and mother chuckle. 

Smiling, she explained the joke to Valkor while they walked out of the dining area, "Is a good thing that we run their banks, the goblins use the same money system inside the city, so is easier for me to remember." 

Putting his arms around her he squeezed her lightly, and tickling her he said jokingly "Funny, a real comedian.", making her plea for mercy for him to stop tickling her. 

Between gasps trying to recover her breath after laughing so hard, she said, "Good night, Val." 

Giving her a handsome smile, he said, "Good night, beautiful. Sleep well. We need to get up early tomorrow. See you at seven for breakfast." 

She made a funny face at his last comment, making him laugh, and kissing him on the cheek, she retired to her bedchambers. 

She woke up early the next day, excited because it was the first time she would be in a wizarding town. Agnes was already drawing a bath for her when she went inside the bathroom. 

The goblin woman looked at her and said, "Lord Valkor brought a dress for you to wear. I will put it on the bed, and stay if you need any help to put it on." 

Caridwen nodded, and said "Thanks, Agnes." 

Once she got bathed and dressed, she went down to the dining area for breakfast. Valkor was already waiting for her. 

He saw her, and said "Let me look at you. You simply look beautiful." 

She smiled, turning around so he could see her from all angles. She responded by saying, "Thank you for the dress. I love it." 

Finishing breakfast, she asked, "Val, how are we going to get there?" 

Smiling, he said "We are going to apparate there. Is similar when you translocate around from place to place, but since you don't know where we are going, leave the work to me." 

Taking her purse and putting her letter and key inside it, she grabbed the hand that Valkor was offering her, and they disappeared. 

They reappeared in the middle of a cobblestone street, with very elegant buildings from side to side. 

Not wanting to miss anything, she kept looking from side to side, when a voice in her ear said "Welcome to Diagon Alley.", making her look at him, smiling. 

Amused by her reaction, he said "First stop, Gringotts." 

Being guided by Valkor, who was still holding her hand, she kept looking at all the places around. Everything was new and exciting to her, the cauldrons outside a shop, the hoots coming from an owl store, and the displays on the store windows like newt's eyes in the window of an apothecary, or broomsticks in a quidditch store. 

Qudditch, quidditch… Valkor explained the wizarding game to her once. It sounded like something between soccer and basketball on broomsticks. She remembered Valkor saying that she will learn more about quidditch when she learns to ride a broomstick at school. 

They stopped in front of a tall white building, it towered the smaller shops in the town. A goblin in a red and gold uniform was standing beside its burnished bronze doors. Walking up the steps, the goblin opened his eyes in recognition, and bowed as they walked inside the bronze doors, saying "Your Highness." 

Now they were facing a silver pair of doors, with words engraved in them: 

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_   
_Of what awaits the sin of greed,_   
_For those who take, but do not earn,_   
_Must pay most dearly in their turn._   
_So if you seek beneath our floors_   
_A treasure that was never yours,_   
_Thief, you have been warned, beware_   
_Of finding more than treasure there._   
__ __

Arching an eyebrow after reading the warning, she looked at Valkor, who opened the door for her, "After you, Milady." 

She smiled, and playing along, she made a small curtsy and said "Thank you, noble sir.", going through the doors. 

The two goblins who were standing guard bowed to them, and at the same time they said "Your Highness." 

The doors led to an enormous marble hall, were hundreds of goblins could be seen working behind a long counter, doing different things, like examining precious stones, weighing golden coins, or scribbling in ledgers. Also, there many doors leading off the hall, were more goblins were showing people in and out of them. 

You could tell it was early, the bank had very few customers besides them, but the noise from the goblins working could be heard. They kept walking to the counter, when the noise stopped gradually, being an empty silence as they arrived in front of a free goblin. 

Having an eerie feeling, like everybody was watching her, she said "Good morning. I'm here to take some money out of my safe." 

The goblin said, "Of course, Your Highness. Do you have your key?" 

Taking the key out of her purse, she showed it to the goblin, who looked at it closely, and said "Everything seems to be in order. And you sir?" 

Giving a quick wink at Cari, he just said "Since I'm here, anyway". 

Producing a small golden key, he gave to the goblin, who examined it, and nodding said "I will take you to the vaults personally." 

Looking at another goblin, he said "Crog, please attend the window, I'm going to take them to the vaults." 

Turning to them, he said "My name is Korchak and I will be at your service. Please follow me." 

They followed him towards one of the doors leading away from the hall. Korchak held the door open for them, entering into a narrow stone passageway, lit by torches. It sloped downwards, and tracks could be seen on the floor. 

Korcheck whistled, and a cart came up the tracks towards them. Valkor climbed in first, helping Caridwen get in, sitting down next to him. Korcheck climbed in, and sitting in front of them, the cart took off. It kept gaining speed, going left, right, up and down. 

At this point Caridwen was having a ball, exclaiming with glee every time they dropped, and said to Valkor, "This is so much fun! Is just like being in a roller coaster. Wee!" After a few more twists and turns, they stopped at a small door in the passage wall. 

Korcheck opened the door, and when they went inside, there were huge mountains of gold, silver and bronze inside the small room. Making a quick calculation, Caridwen took what she thought would be enough into her purse, and turning to Valkor said, "Now let's go to yours." 

After another wild ride, they stopped at his vault, and when they went inside his vault was as impressive as hers, even that she had more money in hers, his was not put to shame, as it was very close to hers. 

They went into the cart again, and when they got out, Caridwen said "Thank you, Korcheck." 

The goblin bowed, and said "It was an honor serving the Goblin Princess. Have a pleasant day, Your Highness." 

With that, he opened the door to the marble hall, and they walked out of the bank. Once they were outside, Valkor asked, "Do you have the list of the school materials you'll need?" 

Nodding, she took the letter from Hogwarts, and taking out the second piece of parchment, she carefully read aloud the list: 

* * *

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**   
**of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

> > > > > > >   
**UNIFORM**   
First-year students will require:   
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)   
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear   
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)   
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)   
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags   

>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> **COURSE BOOKS**   
All students should have a copy of each of the following:   
The Revised Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Jonathan Schmidlin   
Magic – Past and Present by Maximillian Richson   
Theory of Magic by Miranda Boosport   
Transfiguration for Beginners by Henry Theeaight   
Magical Plants by Flora Stemling   
The Book of Potions by John Sulpher   
Beasts of Magic by Marcella Fox   
Protect Yourself Against the Dark Forces by Jaya Onyx   

>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> **OTHER EQUIPMENT**   
1 wand   
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)   
1 set of crystal phials   
1 telescope   
1 set brass scales 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

> > > > > > > **PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS**   
**ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**   
****

* * *

  


Valkor looked at Caridwen and said, "Well, what do you want to do first?" 

Taking her eyes off her list, she looked at him and said "Let's check the uniforms first." 

They walked to a small store that had various robes displayed on the windows, from everyday robes to elegant dressing robes. 

They went in, and a young witch welcomed them, "Good morning, and welcome to The Perfect Robe. My name is Mireille (pronounced me-ray), how may I help you today?" 

Flashing a charming smile, Valkor answered, "We need school robes for this young lady." 

Looking a bit disappointed, the young witch asked "What school does your daughter goes to?" 

Smiling inwardly, he decided to continue the flirting, curious of what his young fiancée's reaction will be "Hogwarts, but she is definitely not my daughter." 

At his words, the young witch smiled brightly at him, and looking at the girl next to him, she said, "Please come with me for your fitting." 

Caridwen noticed that this witch was flirting with HER boyfriend, and he, who should know better, he was flirting back. Narrowing her eyes, she passed by him, trying to come up with a plan for revenge, when she stopped suddenly, nearly avoiding a collision with Mireille. 

She stood up on the stool that she was pointed to, and next thing she knew a black robe was slipped over her head, and Mireille was pinning it to the right length. While she was waiting for the witch to finish with her robe, she crossed her arms looking at Valkor through half closed eyes, getting more peeved at his look of amusement when he looked at her direction. 

She was about to say something when she heard from below her "You are done, dear." 

Taking the robe off, she just glared at him while she waited for the other robes to be ready, and whispered so only he could hear "You are in so much trouble is not even funny." 

Giving her an amused look he whispered back, "So that means that my ploy to make you jealous worked?" 

Arching an eyebrow, she looked at him and said, "Me, jealous? Ha!", turning away from him, still mad. 

She finally paid for the robes, hat, and winter cloak and left, not waiting for nor speaking to him. She will have her revenge and it will be sweet, just when he least expects it. Smiling, she knew what to do, so the first thing of the plan was to convince him that he has been forgiven. 

Realizing that the made a slight tactical error, Valkor tried to get back into Caridwen's graces. He stepped up in front of her, and kneeling so he could be to her level, said "I didn't mean anything by what I did. I just wanted to tease you a little. Could you please forgive me?" 

Caridwen acted like she was seriously thinking her answer when in reality she was planning her revenge, 'Now, where did Jay put the itching powder last time we used it? I will have to ask him.' 

She turned to look at him, and giving him a smile, she said "Are you really sorry?" 

Relieved that he was going to be forgiven, he said "Of course I am. I will never do that again. Promise." 

Wrapping her arms around one of his, she said "I forgive you.", while internally she added, 'for now.' 

Valkor stood up, and placing a hand on her shoulder, he leaned over and asked, "Where you want to go now?" 

Looking again at her list, she said, "Let's get the things in the other equipment list, and then go for the books." 

Valkor nodded, and they got a pewter cauldron, a collapsible telescope, a very nice set of brass scales, and a unique set of crystal phials. Walking out to the bookstore, Caridwen was checking off the things from her list, when she noticed she missed something, "Oh, Val, I think we'll have to go back. I forgot the wand." 

Smiling, he said, "No, we haven't. The best place to get wands is Ollivanders, and that is past the bookstore. So we will get the books first, have lunch, and then we will get your wand. 

Seeing the sign for the bookstore, Flourish and Blotts, Caridwen took Valkor's hand and started running towards the entrance. As soon as they stepped in, she could tell that this was no ordinary bookstore. Instead of your regular sections, you had sections like Potions, Curses, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Magical Flora, etc. 

Making the line that was forming of students getting schoolbooks, Caridwen was still looking around, when she noticed a girl standing behind her, with long, curly blonde hair and gray eyes. 

The girl smiled at her, and said, "Going to Hogwarts?" 

When Cari nodded, she said, "Me too. My first year. Hi, my name is Sylvia Moore." 

Taking her hand, she said "I'm Caridwen Blantyre, nice to meet you. I'm a first year as well." 

Looking around, she asked "Are you here with your parents?" 

Looking at Valkor, she said "No, I'm here with my…", and fell silent, not knowing what to say. 

Going to her rescue, Valkor turned around and introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Valkor, Caridwen's guardian." 

Shaking his hand, she said "Nice to meet you too. This are my parents, Melinda and George Moore." 

Caridwen shook the hands of Sylvia's parents, and she heard Mr. Moore say "I can't believe it. Valkor, is that you?" 

Valkor looked back, and smiling said "George! Haven't seen you in ages, how are you? Melinda, lovely as usual." 

Looking at the confused glances of the two girls, Mr. Moore explained, "We went to Hogwarts together. Even that our houses were supposed to be mortal enemies, we managed to become friends. Be that a lesson for you both, young ladies. Never judge a book by its cover." 

Addressing Valkor once again, he said "I heard that you got engaged. Congratulations. When is the happy event?" 

He answered, "Not for a while. I have to wait for her to finish school. You will be part of the first people to know." 

It was their turned to be helped, so Valkor said, "We will talk later. It was nice seeing you two again." 

They got their books, and seeing that they had a lot of packages, and heavy ones, he took out his wand and said, "Reducto!", making the packages small enough to fit inside Caridwen's purse. 

They were having lunch in a nice restaurant, when Valkor asked, is the wand the only thing you need from your list?" 

She nodded, saying "I don't think I want an animal for now, so the only thing I need is the wand." 

Taking her hand, he looked at her seriously, and said "Caridwen, a wand is something very special, it communicates with your magic. The wand chooses you, not the other way around. I will be honored if you let me buy you your wand as a birthday present." 

When she was going to voice her protest, he said "Is the least I could do, and I really want to give you that gift, is something special that you will hopefully have and use for the rest of your life." 

She just nodded, and saying "Thank you.", smiled sweetly at him. 

They left the restaurant to and kept walking along the cobblestone street. They soon arrived at the wand store, Ollivanders. Brand new painted golden letters over the door could read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. In the window, there was a single wand in a luscious royal purple velvet cushion. 

They went in, and the place was empty, not even an employee could be seen. There were narrow boxes from floor to ceiling stacked together inside shelves, and she could sense the feel of untamed magic in that room. 

A middle aged man approached them from behind, saying "Good afternoon, I'm James Ollivander. How can I help you?" 

A bit startled, they turned towards the man and Valkor said "We are looking for a wand for this young lady." 

Looking at Valkor through narrowed eyes, as in concentration, he said "Valkor Riddle, I remember you. Thirteen and a half inches, willow and unicorn's hair, nice for charms. Come with me, young lady. Let's see which of this wands chooses you." 

She followed Mr. Ollivander, and he asked "What is your wand arm?" 

With a shrug, she figured must be like writing, so she said "The right." 

He took her right arm and lifted it straight. Taking a measuring tape, he measured from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to the floor, knee to armpit, and he started looking through the stack of boxes inside the shelves, while the tape kept taking measures around her head by itself. 

While he kept looking through the boxes, he said to her "Now, listen carefully, Miss. Inside every magic wand lies a very powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, dragon heartstrings and phoenix tail feathers. No two wands are the same, as any two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are never the same. And of course, you will never get the same results if you use another wizard's or witch's wand." 

The measuring tape was measuring around her waist when Mr. Ollivander, coming back with his arms full of boxes said, "That will do, thank you.". The tape suddenly went inanimate, crashing to the floor. 

Opening a box, he showed hr a wand, while saying "Oak, unicorn hair, twelve inches, nice and sturdy. Try it." 

She took the wand and waived it, but nothing happened. She kept trying wands, with no avail. After fourty-five minutes, she was getting tired and frustrated. 

Suddenly, his eyes went wide open, and murmured "I wonder…", going to the back of the store and bringing two boxes with him, which he placed next to him. He went to open a box, which looked old and dusty, but changed his mind at the last minute. 

Opening the other box, he presented the wand that was inside to her, saying "Cherry and unicorn hair, thirteen inches, springy. Try this." 

She took the wand, and waving her hand in the air, red and gold sparkles started coming out of it. 

Looking at Mr. Ollivander, Cari asked, "I take it that is a good sign?" 

Smiling, he said "Yes, it is great!" 

Taking the other boxes away, he took the dusty one, and returning it to the back of the store, he mumbled, "But I was so sure that this was going to be the one. Curious." 

Returning to his customers, he took the box, and wrapping it in brown paper, he said "It will be five Galleons and nine Sickles." 

Valkor gave him the money , and when they were coming out of the store, Cari said, "No wonder you wanted to have lunch first. Getting a wand is really time consuming." 

Looking at her, he said, "What do you say about sharing some sweets before returning home? My treat." 

They stopped at this little pastry shop that had small tables with seats outside. Caridwen saw something called chocolate frogs, and decided to buy some for Jay. Valkor asked if she wanted to share a piece of cake, and she nodded. 

Sharing a slice of cake with two glasses of milk, they were watching the people pass by, when Valkor said to Caridwen, "Cari?" 

She turned to look at him and said, "Yes?" 

Valkor, flashing a smile and pointing to the half eaten piece of cake with his fork, said "Happy Birthday." 

Cari smiled at him, and thought that he had behaved so sweetly through the day, that she was almost willing to forgive the little mishap from that morning. Almost. 

When they returned, Cari took the packages from her purse and gave them to Valkor, who returned them to their normal size, while saying, "See you at dinner?" 

She nodded, and turned to leave. Turning back to him, she said "Thank you for a wonderful day." 

Getting into her room, she put the things bought on Diagon Alley on her bed. Agnes, who was waiting for her in her room, said "How was your day?" 

Caridwen smiled, and answered, "Diagon Alley is great! We had a lovely time, except that bit where Valkor behaved like an idiot." 

Agnes, knowing the princess temper, asked "What happened?" 

Frowning with the memories of the incident, said "Valkor tried to make me jealous by flirting with the witch who sold me my robes. He tried to make up for it, and almost succeeded. Almost." 

Knowing that she was planning something, she asked "What are you going to do?" 

Smiling, she put a mock innocent face, while saying, "Nothing. Do you know where Jay is?" 

Getting suspicious, Agnes asked "Why you want to know where your brother is?" 

Thinking quickly, she said "I bought something for him, and want to give it to him before dinner." 

Still not too convinced of her sincerity, Agnes said, "He should be at the library finishing his homework." 

Smiling, she took the chocolate frogs, and ran to the door while saying, "Thank you, Agnes." 

Opening the library door, Cari took a look inside. Jay was there, hands over his temples, looking at some papers in front of him. 

She said "Hi, Jay. Studying hard?" 

He turned to look at his little sister, still garbed in 17th century clothes. Smiling, he said "How was it?" 

She proceeded to tell him everything that happened that day, making him frown at the point when they bought the robes. 

Caridwen said, "I was thinking itching powder, but the last time we used it, you had it. Please tell me you still have it, please?" 

Giving her an evil grin, he said "Only if you promise that I get to help." 

Smiling, she hugged her brother, while saying "Thanks, Jay! Any ideas how to distract him?" 

He thought about it for a while, coming up with a plan, "We will have to do it before dinner. I will make up any excuse to hold him in the hallways, while you sneak in and put the powder inside the bedsheets. You sneak out, and we watch the fun through a crystal after everybody has retired to sleep." 

Nodding, she said, "I'll better be getting ready for dinner, and so should you. Call me through the mirror when you are ready." 

The time came to put their plan in motion. When they took a corner, Jay saw Valkor walking towards them, so he held Cari back, saying "He's not in his chambers. Translocate there now." 

Nodding her head, she disappeared in the midst of glitter, and Jay went towards Valkor, "Hey Valkor!" 

Valkor turned to see prince Jareth, and said "How are the preparations going?" 

Jay smiled and said, "Everything is in place. It was a great idea for you to offer to take her to Diagon Alley on her birthday. That gave us plenty of time to prepare the birthday celebration. You were with her the whole day. You think she suspects anything?" 

Smiling, Valkor said, "Not a thing. Speaking of your sister, have you seen her? I was hoping to escort her to dinner." 

Seeing Cari reappear behind them, he said a little bit louder, so she could hear, "I think last time I saw Cari, she was going to the library, there was a book she was looking for a book she wanted to read." 

Mouthing "Thanks!", she disappeared again into the library. Going through the books, she decided on a romance novel, and slumping into a chair, she opened the book and started reading. 

The book was actually good, so she did not noticed when Val came inside, she just heard his voice behind her ear saying "Found anything interesting?" 

Jumping a little, she turned to Valkor and said "You scared me, don't do that!" 

Smiling, he said, "I was wondering if you would like me to escort you to dinner." 

Smiling back, she said "I would love to." 

When they arrived to the dining area, everything was dark, and with a nagging feeling, she asked Valkor, "What is going on?" 

Then, all the lights went on, with yells of "Surprise!" filling her ears. All her friends from the labyrinth were there, her uncles Hoggle, Ludo and Didymus, Morath, Agnes, some of the fireys, even Willum and his wife were there. 

Jareth and Sarah went towards their daughter, and Sarah said "Happy eleventh birthday, sweetheart." 

She smiled and said "Thank you. This was truly a surprise." 

Jareth said "Don't thank only us, thank Valkor as well. It was his idea to distract you while so we could prepare all this without you becoming suspicious." 

She turned to Valkor and said "Thanks.", feeling guilty about the prank that she and her brother did earlier. Now she was wondering if he did that on purpose, knowing how she would react, keeping her mind off the fact that today was her birthday. 

The birthday celebration went on, cake was cut and eaten, and it was time for them to retire. After all the guests left the castle, Caridwen kissed her mother and father goodnight. 

Turning to Valkor, Caridwen said, "Val, I..", and stopped, looking at the face her brother was giving her. 

Valkor asked, "Cari, what?" 

She shook her head and said, "Nothing. You'll find out later." 

Stretching her arms around his waist, she squeezed him and said, "Good night, Val." 

She retired to her room, waiting for the inevitable. Suddenly, she heard Valkor's voice coming from the mirror "Caridwen, I know you are behind this. You better come here at once!" 

With a sigh, she translocated to his bedchambers, where she could see him in his pajamas, scratching like crazy. He looked so funny, trying to scratch in different directions at the same time, she could not help but laugh. 

Looking at her, he said "You think this is funny?" 

Then, realizing why she did it, he smiled sheepishly, "This is for this morning, right? I guess I deserve it." 

Caridwen said, "Now that I know you did it as a distraction and you did not meant it, I feel really guilty about this." 

Smiling, Valkor said "I guess this makes us even. Come here." 

Valkor came to her, and hugged her. 

Caridwen, realizing a bit late what his real intentions were, she said "Valkor, you are so dead!", scratching like crazy. She had forgotten about the scratching powder for a moment, and he hugged her with the intention of getting some on her. 

After seeing each other scratch for a while, they could not stop laughing at each other. 

Caridwen, still scratching said, "I better take a bath before I get to bed. I recommend you change the sheets and do the same. Good night, Val." 

When she returned to her bedchambers, Jay was waiting for her on her bed, laughing hysterically "He really got you good this time. He is sneaky, I think I'm starting to like this guy." 

Annoyed that her brother saw her prank backfire, she said, "I think that means I will have to go for plan B." 

Jay looked at her "Plan B?" 

She smiled and answered, "Just add water."   


________________________ 

**A/N:** I know, I ended it in a cliffie.... I'm evil!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Ok, people, what do you think? Let me know with your reviews. It is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks. 

As Pepe would say: "Please leave a contribution in the little box." ^_^   



	9. To Hogwarts we will go....

**A/N: ** Finally, I finished Part Nine. Sorry it took me so much time to get this posted. The only thing I can say is that life happens and work sucks. This part is not too big, I wanted to keep writing and finish the whole thing, but since I haven't posted anything in a long time, I thought that I should stop and finish the story in the next part. 

Yes, I know that the Labyrinth / Harry Potter crossover is in full swing. I try to explain everything as much as I can (thanks HP book one!). If you still have questions, let me know, and I will try to fix it or e-mail you with answers. I'm trying to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. 

I'm also reworking the series that go after this one, where she finds the chosen one. Is more HP than anything, so I'm trying to make it more available for people who haven't read the HP books. If you read the Harry Potter section, you might have read the second part series already. As soon as The Searcher series is done, I'll post the second part, along with a short story that was inspired by the second series. So yes, there's a sequel. 

Also, any spelling and grammar errors, please forgive me, English is not my first language, but if you can e-mail me with corrections, it will be greatly appreciated and the fic will be corrected and re-posted. Anyone wants to volunteer for Beta Reader? 

Many thanks to those of you who reviewed Part 8: minkey55, Melissa Davis (it was your idea, after all!!!), Sally, Sara Beth (I'm really trying, really), crystal rose168, Mara Trinity Scully (Thanks for the weirdness bit, I think. ::My logo is that Weird is my middle name:: ^_^), Kim, The Manipulative Little Monster (I definetely need to talk to you about what we discussed earlier... I'll email you. ^_^), Sadie (You made me so happy that I finally recruited another fan for His Royal Tightness!! ::sobs::), Amber ("Merci, beaucoup!"), ~*Sliver Wolf*~ , Katie, and sky dragon. 

As always, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize.. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  


**Part 9**   
  


Knowing the name of that prank, Jay smiled and said "You are positively evil. Now, this I have to see." 

Taking a new set of nightclothes, she went to the bathroom while saying to her brother, "Just make sure he is sound asleep.", and scratching, she closed the door to the bathroom. 

Later that night, whispers could be heard coming from the princess bedroom, "Are you ready?" 

She nodded, and willed the water inside her goblet to warm. After that, they appeared in Valkor's bedroom. Perfect, he was sound asleep, and his left arm was dangling out of the bed, almost touching the floor. 

Lifting his arm carefully, they put the goblet with warm water underneath, and putting down his arm, they made sure that his hand was covered with the warm water. Disappearing back into her bedchambers, they could not stop the giggling. 

Willing a crystal, they could see a spot forming in the bed. They finally decided to call it quits and go to sleep. Jay, on the other hand, thought that this little crystal had potential for the next day, willing the goblet with warm water to disappear from the wizard's bedroom. 

The next day, they sat at breakfast, Caridwen and Jay not able to look at each other, unless they started an uncontrollable laughter. 

They were finally calming down when they saw Valkor come in for breakfast. He looked at the two siblings through narrowed eyes, and said "Good morning." 

Caridwen was biting her lip to stop the fit of laughter that was trying to escape, again. Taking a deep breath, she managed to calm down and mutter a "Good morning" to her fiancé without laughing in his face. 

Jareth and Sarah kept looking at the other side of the table, wondering what was going on in the peanut gallery, they were laughing hysterically one moment and unusually quiet the other after Valkor came in. Knowing their children, they were almost positive that poor Valkor had been a victim of their pranks. 

Breakfast was over, and when they got up Valkor said to Caridwen "Would you like a stroll through the gardens?" 

Caridwen smiled, and said "That would be lovely." 

Before they left, Jay approached them, and said to Valkor "So, slept well after all that scratching?" 

Valkor looked at him and said "Why you ask?" 

Jay threw a crystal on his hand, and Valkor could see himself sleeping last night, making him blush. 

Jay, in the middle of laughter, could not help himself, and shouted in the middle of the hallway while running to get away "Wet man walking!". 

Looking at Jay, Valkor said "Why you little…", while running behind him trying to catch him. 

Caridwen could not help but laugh at he silly picture of Valkor running behind Jay all over the castle. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

September 1st finally came, and Caridwen stood with her parents and her brother in front of a small Inn at the outskirts of London. There all the students going to Hogwarts were gathering to get into the big carriage caravan that will take the students to Hogwarts (what you expect, there were no trains in the 17th century after all). 

Caridwen was nervous, not knowing anyone in the crowd, when she heard someone yelling "Caridwen, over here!" 

She turned to the voice's direction and a smile spread on her face, while the blonde girl made it to her side. "Sylvia! I'm so glad you are here. I was afraid that I would be alone. Oh, hello, Mr. and Mrs. Moore." 

Mrs. Moore smiled, and said "Hello, dear. Where's your guardian?" 

Seeing the frown on her father's face, she said "He could not be here today. I'm here with my parents. Mom, dad, this are Mr. And Mrs. Moore, and this is their daughter Sylvia. We met at Flourish and Blotts. This are my parents, Jareth and Sarah Blantyre, and my brother Jareth." 

After exchanging pleasantries, Sarah knelt to be face to face with her daughter, and said "I'm glad that at least you have a friend with you." 

At that time, a man was calling for students to start getting into the carriages, six students per carriage. Caridwen said goodbye to her parents and her brother, tears forming in her eyes. After hugging her brother, father and mother she said "I'll see you at Christmas. I love you." 

Sylvia took Caridwen's hand and said "Follow me." 

They went to a carriage further down, where four more students were waiting. As soon as they saw Sylvia they waved to her. They went towards them, where Caridwen noticed a girl and three boys. 

Silvia made the introductions, "Everyone, this is Caridwen, I met her at Flourish and Blotts and she doesn't know anyone here. Caridwen, This is my best friend, Elena Griffindor, my cousin Matthew Evans, and his best friends Paul and Robert Weasley." 

Caridwen smiled and responded "Hi, Caridwen Blantyre, nice meeting you all." 

With a smile, Robert said "Let's go, last one into the carriage is a smelly troll." 

Laughing, the six students went into the carriage. Caridwen sat next to one of the windows, Sylvia sitting next to her, and Robert getting the other window. In front of her was Matthew, Elena seated in the middle, and Paul sitting in front of his brother. 

The friends were talking amicably, so she observed them closely. The Weasly twins looked exactly alike, both having flaming red hair and sapphire blue eyes, the only difference between them being that Robert had a small mole in his left chin, while Paul had it in his right. 

Elena had raven black hair, a little on the unruly side, and beautiful brown eyes. Looking at Matthew, he had light brown hair, and looking at him closely, she gasped as she saw his eyes.   
He had intense green eyes, just like the ones she saw in her dream. 

She wondered if he is the one that she is supposed to look for. She closed her eyes and reached with her senses, but it was confusing, her senses telling her that he is the one, but he isn't. 

Her eyes still closed, she heard Matthew ask "So, Caridwen, tell us about yourself." 

She opened her eyes to find Matthew smiling at her, making her smile back. 

Caridwen thought what she could say, and started "Well, I live with my parents and my brother in my father's castle. I've been taught by a private tutor until a month ago, and I like fencing and bow and arrow. How about you?" 

Matthew shrugged and said "Well, my father came to Hogwarts when he was my age, so he was very happy that I came in here as well. Elena, your turn." 

Elena shifted in her seat a little, and with a sigh, she started "As you might have noticed, my last name is Griffindor. Yes, that Griffindor. I'm the last member of my family to carry the name of Godric Griffindor, I'm afraid. You are next, Paul." 

With a solemn face, he started "My name is Paul and I'm an only son…" erupting laughter from the rest of them, while Robert yelled back 

"You wish!" 

With an evil grin, Paul and Robert were next to each other facing the others, and Paul said "Weasley is our name…" and Robert completed "…mischief is our game." 

Robert continued "Our goal in life right now is to see how many professors we can confuse before they can tell us apart. Your turn, fair Sylvia." 

Silvia smiled nervously and said, "Well, all you guys know my parents. My father works for the Ministry of Magic. I overheard him this morning talking to my mother. He did not want to say anything to me, but seems that there is a dark lord that is gathering strength. No one knows who he is or what he looks like. Only that he is dangerous." 

After that bomb was dropped, she said "The only other thing that my father said is that he was glad that I was going to Hogwarts, because it was bound to be the safest place right now." 

Robert took Sylvia's hand and said "I'm sure that they will get him pretty soon. The Ministry has dealt with Dark Lords before, and they always capture them before they can do any serious damage. This time it won't be any different." 

Caridwen was listening to their conversation, and timidly asked, "Sorry for asking, but what is a Dark Lord?" 

Matthew looked at her, and then out of the window, his green eyes were cold with rage "A Dark Lord is a warlock that uses black or dark magic. I know, because my mother was killed by a Dark Lord two years ago." 

Caridwen opened her eyes wide, and said "I'm sorry, I didn't know." 

He turned to look back at her, his eyes filled with sadness "Don't worry, it will pass. I did not expect you to know this. It still hurts, but I'm better now." 

Caridwen looked out of the window again, noticing something strange. The carriage was traveling faster than a normal carriage, in fact, she was sure that it was traveling as fast as a train. 

She asked her companions "Is it me, or does this carriage is a little bit too fast?" 

After a few snickers from everybody, Silvia said "Of course, it is. If not, we would not get to Hogwarts on the same day." 

Sylvia was curious, "Caridwen, I hope you don't get offended by my asking, but are your parents muggles? You seem to know so little about the wizarding world…" 

Caridwen blushed a little and said "I don't have that much interaction with the wizarding world, if that's what you mean. The only things I know are the stuff I know from Valkor. My father is not a muggle, though." 

The friends were curious now about this new girl, so they kept asking more questions, they answering questions that she made in return. This gave them an opportunity for them to know each other better. Caridwen realized that she liked this people, and she hoped that she could count them as her friends. 

Robert had a question that alarmed her "Where does your father work?" 

She could certainly not say that her father work was being the Goblin King. She thought hard for a second, and she found the answer. She smiled and responded "Gringotts." 

It was not a lie, after all. Her father traveled at least once a month to the wizarding world for Gringotts business, and once a week a goblin from Gringotts met with her father in his private study. 

Paul asked then "What does he do?" 

She thought hard on that one. She remembered asking the same question to her mother once, like if it was today. 

Sarah looked at her thoughtfully, and then a smile spread on the queen's face. The answer she received was "Now that I think about it, your father is like the CEO of Gringotts. He makes many decisions for the company. That is funny, I will have to tease him about that later." 

She definitely could not say that, so she shrugged and said "I don't really know what he does.", which was not a lie either. 

Then she got a question from Matthew "Who is this Valkor you mentioned?" 

Sylvia then looked at her "Yes, why do you need a guardian if you have your parents?" 

Caridwen blushed a little, and said "Well technically he is not my guardian. He is more of my fiancé." 

All she heard was Sylvia saying "What? But he is as old as my parents! You were the one he was talking about then." 

Elena was another one who was surprised "So, you are engaged? How could your parents do this to you?" 

Caridwen bit her lip, trying to see how could she explain the ways of the fae without telling them that this was not a human affair. 

With a quick thought of "Sorry, uncle Obi.", she said "My parents didn't had any say on that. It was arranged by my father's family. I've been engaged to him since I was a year old. Is not that uncommon." 

Caridwen could have sworn she saw disappointment in Matthews eyes, but she could not be sure. It was so sudden that maybe she imagined it. 

Seems that she wasn't the only one that noticed, because Paul said "Well Matt, looks like you have some competition.", making both Matt and Cari blush, while the rest laughed at the commentary. 

The carriage was slowing down, and Cari asked "Are we here already?" Robert said "No, we are probably stopping for lunch. We won't arrive until this evening." 

As soon as he finished saying that, they stopped. When they were getting out, she was going to ask how they knew so much about the school, when she saw two older girls and a boy with the same flaming red hair approach them. 

One of the girls said "So, how has your trip been so far?" 

Robert shrugged and said "So far, is been good." 

Paul smiled and said "We got a new recruit.", pointing towards Caridwen. 

The girl turned to her and smiling said, "Hi, welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Patricia, Paul and Robert's older sister, but everyone calls me Trish. I'm in my seventh year. My other brother here is Fernand, who is in his fifth year, and my sister Susan, who is in her third year." 

Caridwen smiled and shook everyone's hand, and commented to Sylvia in a whisper, "And I thought my brother was a handful.", making Sylvia giggle. 

After lunch was finished, they got back in their carriage, all their trunks neatly placed on the floor next to it. Per instructions received during lunch, they took their school robes and put them on before getting back into the carriage. The movement and their full stomachs were making all of them sleepy, and soon they were all snoring away happily. 

They woke up when the carriage started slowing down, Caridwen noticing that it was night already. 

Once the carriage stopped, the doors opened and Elena, still stretching, said "We are finally in Hogsmeade!" 

When they were getting out, Caridwen noticed that other carriages continued the journey, but a small number had stopped where they were. 

A middle-aged man carrying a lamp was saying loudly to them "All students please come to this spot." 

Once all the students were surrounding the man, he continued "Everyone here is a first year. Please follow me. Please watch where your step!" 

They followed the man through a steep and very narrow path, some of the students slipping along the way. Once the path became leveled again, they went around a bend and the path opened to the edge of a big black lake. An enormous castle with lots of towers and turrets could be seen in the top of a mountain on the other side, the lights from the inside showing were the windows are. 

The man stopped suddenly, everybody stopping behind him. He said "Now, all of you, into the boats, no more than four students per boat!" 

That's when Caridwen noticed that there were a lot of little boats at the edge of the lake. 

Sylvia was looking around, when she tugged on Elena's sleeve and said, "Look, there's the Potter boy! Let's go with him!" 

Elena flushed, thankful that it was dark, and it could not be noticed, and she said to her friend "Are you crazy? I'm not going where John is." 

Sylvia looked at her friend and said, "Come on, I know you like him. Let's go before we loose this opportunity." 

Smiling, she then turned to the boy's direction, shouting "Hey John! Leave room for us!" waiving at the boy looking in their direction. 

The boy saw them, and smiling he nodded and waived for them to come. 

Smiling evilly, Sylvia said to the group, "Wish us luck!", and taking Elena's arm, went towards the boy. Caridwen was torn between following the girls or staying, when she felt a hand in hers. 

Looking back, she saw Matthew smiling at her, and he said "Your boat awaits, Milady." 

She smiled back, saying "Thank you, noble sir.", and went into the boat, the twins following. 

Once they took their seats, The man said "Everybody seated? Good. FORWARD!" 

The boats glided across the lake, everybody looking at the castle on top of the mountain, going into the direction of the cliff right underneath. 

When they were reaching the cliff, the man shouted "Everybody down! Watch your heads!" 

They passed through a curtain of ivy, which shielded an opening in the cliff. They kept going into a dark tunnel, that seemed to be going up towards the castle, until they reached some kind of harbor, stopping onto rocks and stones. 

The man got out of his boat, everybody following him. They ascended through a narrow passageway in the rock, coming out very close to the castle. They kept following the man into the castle, where he stopped in front of a huge oak door, knocking three times. 

The door opened to reveal another man, this time dressed in peacock blue robes, with sandy blonde hair. 

"This are the first years, Professor Guilfoyle.", said the man. 

"Thank you, Norman. I'll take it from here.", said Professor Guilfoyle. 

She heard one of the twins say behind her "So that's the gamekeeper. I was wondering who that guy was." 

The Professor opened the door and said "Please follow me." 

The door led to an enormous hall, illuminated by torches, just like Gringotts, a grand marble staircase in front that led to the upper floors. They kept following the professor through the stone walls, and they could hear voices coming from one of the doors that they passed, but they saw that the professor was directing them into a small room off the hall. 

Once everybody was in, the Professor closed the door behind him. 

"Could I have your attention, please? ", said Professor Guilfoyle. "First, welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but first you must be sorted into your houses. The sorting is very important, because your house will be your surrogate family in Hogwarts. You will have classes with your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend your free time in your house's common room." 

"The four houses are Griffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Each one has its own great history, and each has produced magnificent wizards and witches. When you are at Hogwarts, any triumphs will earn you house points, but you break any rules and you will lose points from your house. At the end of the term, the house with the most points will win the house cup, which is a very honored award." 

"The sorting ceremony will begin shortly in front of the whole school. Please be quiet in the meantime, and make yourselves presentable. I will come back for you when we are ready." 

Caridwen wished for a mirror at that moment, but being unable to have one, she asked Matt "How do I look?" 

Matt simply smiled and said "Beautiful." 

Caridwen just stared at the floor while muttering "Thanks.", feeling her face getting red. 

About five minutes later, Professor Guilfoyle returned, saying "Very well, students, please form a line and follow me." 

They got out of the small room, back into the enormous hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. It was beautiful, thousands of candles floating in the air over four very long tables where the students were sitting. There was another table on top of the hall, this one sitting the teachers. 

Professor Guilfoyle lead them to that table, making them stand in front of it facing the other students. A single stool was put in front of them with a very old, patched and dirty pointed wizard's hat on top. 

Suddenly, there was complete silence across the room, and a rip from the hat that was near the brim seemed to come alive and curl in a smile like it was a mouth. The hat cleared its throat?, and started to sing:   


> > _"I may look old and ratty_   
_But I assure to you_   
_I'm intelligent and smarty_   
_And I've got lots to do.___
>> 
>> _I'm going to sort you in your house,_   
_My senses sharp and keen,_   
_Will see your hidden talents_   
_Nothing is what it seems.___
>> 
>> _You might belong in Griffindor_   
_Where the brave of heart reside,_   
_They're daring, brave and chivalrous_   
_Even if it's hidden inside;___
>> 
>> _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_   
_Where loyal people are,_   
_They are hardworking individuals_   
_Truest friends by far;___
>> 
>> _Or maybe even Ravenclaw,_   
_The ones with all the brains,_   
_With quick wit and learning_   
_By studying win your games;___
>> 
>> _Or possibly in Slytherin,_   
_You will come to stay,_   
_With trickery and cunning_   
_You'll always make your day.___
>> 
>> _So put me on your head,_   
_And just let me decide!_   
_Remember, you are safe with me_   
_You've got nothing to hide!_   
__

After the hat was done, the hall exploded with applause. The hat bowed to each of the tables, and became still. 

Professor Guilfoyle came forward with a long roll of parchment in his hands. 

"When I call your name, take the hat, sit on the stool and put the hat on to be sorted.", he said. "Adams, William!" 

A blond boy came forward, took the hat, sat down and put the hat on his head. After a few seconds… 

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted. 

The table second to the right cheered him on, and he put the hat back on the stool, and went to sit down at the table. 

"Blantyre, Caridwen!" 

Caridwen's head snapped to the front, and nervously made her way to the stool. She took the hat, sat down, and put the hat on. The only thing she could see was the inside of the hat. 

"Well, now this is different!" said a voice in her ear. "You are not only a witch, you are half fae as well. This will make it very difficult. What's this? Goblin magic as well! That means that you are the one! You will have to surpass many obstacles, my dear. No doubt, you are a GRIFFINDOR!" 

The hat shouted that last word to the whole hall. Applause and cheers were coming form the table at the far left, especially from the Weasley siblings. She took the hat off and went to sit down at the Griffindor table, taking the empty chair next to Trish. 

Caridwen was admiring the plates and goblets made of gold, when Trish gave her a quick hug and said "I'm so glad you are here! Let's see how many more we can snatch this time!" 

They put the attention back to the sorting hat, where the rest of the students were being sorted. The names kept coming. 

"Brown"…, "Boot"…, "Bulstrode"…, "Calvin"…, "Dumbledore"…, "Evans, Matthew!" 

Caridwen was just watching Matt sit down with the hat on his head. He stood there for a long time, when the hat finally said, "GRIFFINDOR!" 

Caridwen smiled, and started clapping with the rest of the table, Fernand shouted "Go Matt!" 

Matt sat next to Cari at the table, receiving the congratulations from the ones closest to them. The Griffindor house managed to get more students. Of course, Elena, Sylvia and the twins made it to Griffindor as well. So did John Potter, his friend Jack Thomas and a girl named Susan Longbottom. 

As the last student sat down at his table, Professor Guilfoyle rolled up the scroll and took the sorting hat and the stool with him. 

A woman rose from the staff table, and started talking "I'm Leona Hargitay, Headmistress of Hogwarts and I would like to welcome all of you to a new school year. Before the banquet begins, I would like to say, enjoy your dinner. Thank you!" 

As soon as she sat down, the serving dishes that were empty in the middle of the tables were piling up with food now. Any type of food that you could imagine was there. 

After they started eating, a ghost came up to them, and said "Congratulations on being the newest Griffindors. Permit to introduce myself. I'm Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, Griffindor Tower's resident ghost." 

Seeing the first year's confused looks, he continued, "As you can see, there are ghosts in all the houses. You see, in the next table, that's the Bloody Baron, resident ghost for Slytherin. The next table over, is the lovely Grey Lady for Ravenclaw, and for Hufflepuff, is the Fat Friar. We have many more ghosts at the castle, but we are the leaders of the ghost community." 

Once he was out of earshot, one the twins, Paul, said "You know he is also known as Nearly Headless Nick? He can take his head off, but is hanging in one side. Whoever decapitated him did not do a good job." 

John Potter was curious, and asked "How you know that?" 

Robert answered back, "Trish, our older sister told us. She is a Prefect, and Head Girl this year.", he finished, proudly. 

After no one could eat a bite more, the food disappeared and the plates were clean. Seconds later, trays with desserts of all kinds appeared in their place. When the desserts disappeared as well, Professor Hargitay rose and addressed the students once more. 

"Before we leave I would like to make some announcements. First of all, the Forbidden Forest is Forbidden. Please don't forget that. Second of all, Remember, no magic in the corridors between classes. Now, before we leave, everybody rise to sing the school song." 

With a flick of her wrist, wand in hand, words started forming in mid-air. 

"Just pick up your favorite tune, and let's start!", said Professor Hargitay. 

The whole school started singing:   


> > _"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_   
_Teach us something please,_   
_Whether we be old and bald_   
_Or young with scabby knees,_   
_Our heads could do with filling_   
_With some interesting stuff,_   
_For now they're bare and full of air_   
_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_   
_So teach us things worth knowing,_   
_Bring back what we've forgot,_   
_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_   
_And learn until our brains all rot."_   
__

Everybody finished at different times, and when the last students were done, everybody clapped. 

Professor Hargitay rose again and said "That was wonderful. Now off to bed, have a good night!" 

All the students stood up from their chairs, and the first years started following their house Prefect, Trish. As they were making their way into their tower, Caridwen noticed that the portraits moved and whispered between themselves. Sometimes the portraits would move from picture to picture, talking to the other portraits. 

They were led through doorways hiding behind secret panels or hanging tapestries. They were going to go into another corridor behind a tapestry when a sound of splashing water interrupted the silence, followed by some screams and a hysterical laugh in the distance. 

Trish only murmured "Oh, no. This is just what I need.", rolling her eyes. 

A voice said next to them "Ooooooh! Firsties!", followed by a mad cackle. "What shall we do to this ones?" 

Susan screamed as something pulled on her hair. Trish was getting really mad at this time. 

Taking a large breath, she said "Don't worry, it's just Peeves, a poltergeist. He is a prankster. Peeves, show yourself!" 

After a popping sound, a little man appeared floating in front of them. He had wicked dark eyes, and a wide mouth, curled into a mischievous grin. 

Trish continued, "Peeves, could you please let us continue without any problems? I would really appreciate it." 

The poltergeist turned to Trish, and taking her hand, he kissed it on the back and said "For you, anything, Milady.", disappearing wit a loud pop. 

Once they went through the tapestry, they climbed a bunch of stairs. Trish continued her warning about the poltergeist. 

"If you encounter any problems with Peeves, I suggest you run on the other direction. The bloody baron is the only one who can control him." 

John asked "But you asked him nicely, and he left. Why wouldn't he do it again?" 

Trish blushed, and said "I'm a special case. You see, Peeves has had a crush on me since I was in my fourth year. How or why that happened, I have no idea. But since this is going to be my last year at Hogwarts, I suggest you watch out for him." 

Paul could not help teasing his sister, and said "Trish, mom is not going to be happy that you are being courted by a ghost, you know." 

Trish stopped, and turned to face her brother "Mom knows anyway, and besides, I do not encourage him. This way, please." 

After they finished climbing up the stairs, they came to a corridor, where at the very end was hanging a huge painting of a fat woman in a silly pink dress. They kept walking until they were in front of the painting. 

The fat lady turned to see Trish, and a smiled formed on her lips. "Good evening, my dear. Password?" 

Trish smiled to the portrait, and said "Good evening to you too. _Griffin's heart_." 

The portrait moved forwards, revealing a hole in the wall. They all passed through it with difficulty, there were couple of feet of wall left from the floor to the hole. 

Once they went through it, they found themselves in the Griffindor Common Room. It was a cozy round room full of very comfortable looking chairs, and a fireplace in one side. On the opposite side were two doors. 

Trish directed the boys to one door, while she directed the girls to the other. After getting through a spiral staircase, they made it to a door that said First Years. They went in, their trunks were already in front of their beds. 

The girls were too tired to start any conversation, so they just changed into their pajamas and went to sleep. Caridwen fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow, images of white owls flying floating through her mind as slumber claimed her. 

________________________ 

**A/N:** I know, I thought that this was going to be the last part.... But nooooooooo, life had other plans for me!!!! Ok, people, what do you think? Let me know with your reviews. It is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks. 

As Pepe would say: "Please leave a contribution in the little box." ^_^ 

  
  
  



	10. The End.... or is it?

**A/N: ** Finally, I have finished my first series of The Searcher. Yes, peeps, this is the last part. Sorry it took me so much time to get this posted, but I had a major writer's block for the past month. 

Yes, I know that the Labyrinth / Harry Potter crossover is in full swing. I try to explain everything as much as I can (thanks HP book one!). If you still have questions, let me know, and I will try to fix it or e-mail you with answers. I'm trying to make it so people who had never read the Potter books will not get lost. 

The sequel is being revised right now, to add some more Laby twists to it, and more explanations to people who had never read the Potter books. The third series (Yes, Peeps, this is going to be a trilogy, and I started in the middle ^_^ ), is in the planning stages right now... so look for it soon as well. 

Very very special thanks go to three people: First to Melissa Davis and Kim, The Manipulative Little Monster, for being in my case since last month for me to finish this, and finally to Cat Foxglove, who decided to brave out being my Beta reader and fix my grammatical horrors... er, I mean, errors... yeah, that's it, errors! ^_^ 

And last but not least, Thanks to you, my readers, whose support is felt and needed. You guys are the ones who really make me want to do this. As always, special thanks to all of you who reviewed Part 9: Usagi Tsukino (hope you like this part), Mara Trinity Scully (I love that you are one of my regulars. Yeah, I know, but I figured that the first year experience is basically pretty similar to everyone who starts at Hogwarts, oh, and let me know what you think of this part...), Melissa Davis (I said it all above, Mel), Amber (Please do read the Potter books, you will not regret it), Sadie (another regular of mine ^_^, you read the second series, but I'm changing it a bit, so it will be new again!!!), sky dragon (thanks, glad you like the crossover), DemeterAKADemi (thanks!), Elle or known as ~*Sliver Wolf *~ (another regular! ^_^, I'm glad, hope you stay for the second and third series), JJ (thank you!), Sailor faerie Star (as I told Amber, read the Potter books, they are great for any age! - If you read my Bio, you understand, heh..), and Silver Space (glad you think so). 

Also, I found out that The Searcher has been nominated for the Labyrinth Fanfiction.net Awards on the Best Sarah and Best Original Character (Caridwen) categories!!! I was speechless when I found out! Thanks again to you all!!!!! 

If you want to cast your vote, go to http://www.321website.com/members/home/data/laby_vote/homepage.html 

Thanks, Gripweed! 

OK, enough shameless self promotion... ^_^ Sooo, without further ado, 

**DISCLAIMER: **Sarah, Jareth, and everything Labyrinth belong to Jim Henson Productions. Oberon, Titania and Puck belong to William Shakespeare. Anything Potterverse belongs to the magnificent JK Rowling. I only own Jay, Caridwen and any other characters that you do not recognize. 

And now, the story.   
  
  
  


**The Searcher**

  
  


**Part 10**   
  


Caridwen fell asleep immediately, and the dreams that had visited her so many times, came back once again. 

_She did not know where she was, only that everything around her was dark, and she could hear a woman scream. Then she heard a man say "Take him and go."___

_She could hear the woman respond "No, I won't leave you."___

_She heard the man again "There is no time, go!"___

_She heard a thump and the woman screamed again "Take me instead, but spare him, please!"___

_She heard another thump and some words she could not recognize, and suddenly she saw a bright green light.___

_Afterwards, she heard the voice of the Labyrinth say "Don't despair, my child. You will find him soon, but not as you expect."_

She woke up again, like so many other times before. She had gotten so used to the nightmare that she did not even scream. Not giving it a second thought, she turned around and fell asleep again, thankfully into a sleepless slumber. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Caridwen smiled at the sight of the painting she just finished. It was hard to believe that at the end of this summer she would be entering her fifth year at Hogwarts. Last summer she had convinced her father to make a portrait of herself in front of the castle and had given it to Valkor as a present. 

She was feeling guilty because she could not see her fiancé as much as she wanted, and Matthew kept insisting that he wanted to be more than just friends. 

And she wasn't sure if it was her, but since her first year at Hogwarts, Valkor kept growing increasingly distant, colder. The smile in his eyes had long gone, and she was not sure if she liked this new Valkor or not. She couldn't help but wonder if it was partly her fault. 

This past year she had learned to paint the wizard way, to make the pictures move. She decided to try it, painting a small portrait of her parents, so she could keep it with her in her dormitory. She was just putting the finishing brushstrokes when an owl had just come in with a letter attached to its leg. 

Leaving the painting to dry, she sat in a chair on the makeshift studio/study, and opened the letter. The letter was from Sylvia, making her smile. She missed her friends from school. She opened the letter, eager to read the contents. It started with the how are you's, missing you's, and finally, the good part, gossip. Elena was still dating the Potter boy. They had been an item since last year. The twins were still kings of mischief, and Matthew said hi. 

Sylvia wanted to know when she would give her cousin a chance, he was driving her nuts with all his brooding. She smiled, until she saw that there were more somber news ahead. Her father told them that the Ministry finally had an identity on the Dark Lord that had been rising to power over the years since they started on Hogwarts. 

Caridwen's eyes opened in shock, she could not believe what she was reading. It couldn't be. But again, she knew deep inside that it was true. She always knew. Her senses told her that he would help her find the one she was looking for, but he would be extremely dangerous as well. 

His attitude and demeanor had changed over the years, starting as soon as she entered Hogwarts. She dismissed it first as being that he was disappointed that she was a Griffindor instead of a Slytherin, then as part of that she was growing up, and having a different perspective, but even in the few weeks they had together she had noticed. Valkor was the Dark Lord. 

A pang of pain went through her heart, mourning the person that Valkor once was. She would have to tell her father, and have the engagement canceled. The ball! She had completely forgot all about it. They were going to have an engagement party just before the commencement of the new school term, which would be the next month. She had too many things to do. 

She ran out of the study and into the throne room, where she knew she would find her parents. With tears in her eyes, and clutching the letter in her hand, she said "The engagement is off. Cancel the engagement party." 

Confusion flashed through the monarchs' faces looking at their daughter, and they expressed the same thought at the same time, "WHAT?" 

Tears were still flowing through her face, and she did not bothered to wipe them off. She just got a hard look in her eyes and said "I will not marry a Dark Lord. I refuse.", closing her eyes, and looking away from her parents. 

Sarah left with their daughter to Caridwen's bedchambers, trying to comfort her as much as she could, her arms around her, cooing soft and calming words to her. Before leaving the throne room, Sarah gave a significant look to her husband, which he acknowledged and nodded in silent agreement. 

Jareth looked at the spot his daughter stood just minutes ago, still stunned with the news she brought. Since he had to deal with the wizarding world, he knew of the news of a dark wizard rising, killing several people with his group of followers. But the Ministry of Magic did know the identity of this dark wizard, what was his name, Voldemort? 

He suddenly realized that Voldemort was not the only Dark Wizard to rise, sometimes it was difficult remembering that his daughter lived between the present and the 17th century. He tried to remember as much as he could about the wizarding world history, and then he remembered. 

How could he have forgotten? He remembered now hearing about Valkor the Dark. How that did not clicked before? He made a promise to himself, he would go to the High Council itself and defy them, but his daughter will not fall in the hands of that evil man. 

Conjuring a crystal ball, he directed his thoughts towards his brother. An image of Oberon, King of the Fae appeared suddenly in the crystal. 

Smiling, Oberon looked at a mirror located next to his throne, "Jareth, what a surprise! What can I do for you, baby brother?" 

With a somber tone, Jareth said "I'm afraid is not good news. I need you to contact Seana and Poe and bring them here as soon as you can. The engagement is off." 

Oberon arched an eyebrow, and said "Off? But you can't go against the wishes of the High Council!" 

Jareth sighed and said "That's why I need to talk to the three of you, as representatives of the High Council. There have been some new developments that I think will annul this engagement once and for all." 

Caridwen was resting on her bed, after crying her heart out to her mother. Her eyes had been dry for a while now, no more tears left to shed. "I feel so tired.", was her last thought before darkness claimed her. 

_Darkness was all around her. The now familiar voices could be heard again, but this time, there was something different.___

_Her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, and she looked to be inside a house, a living room to be more exact. She saw a tall man with black hair and a woman with dark red hair pass in front of her leaving the room she was standing in. She saw the woman glance nervously to the window before leaving.___

_"He's here!"___

_"Lily, you have to leave now! Take Harry and go!"___

_She heard the woman, Lily? say "No, James, I won't leave you."___

_The man named James responded "There is no time, go!"___

_She heard a thump and then she saw Lily coming back to the room she was in, to a crib that was standing in a corner. A shadowed figure entered right after her, and she turned around, her body shielding the crib and screamed "Take me instead, but spare Harry, please!"___

_She heard "Ah, such a pity, but I'm afraid you will have to die as well. Avada Kedavra!" a bright green light coming from his raised wand being the only thing she could see.___

_Usually her dream ends here, but to her surprise, her dream continued.___

_Her eyes adjusted to the room again, and she saw with horror the woman falling on the floor as soon as the light touched her, the tall figure laughing evilly, stepping on top of her to get to the crib.___

_"And this little thing was supposed to be my worst nightmare? What a joke, but I guess you will have to die as well. Avada Kedavra!"___

_After the burst of light, she heard the man that killed James and Lily scream in horror. Her eyes adjusting to the darkness again, saw a shadow scurry outside the house, and the sounds of a baby crying.___

_She hurried to the sound of the baby, who was lying in his crib. What she saw surprised her. A baby around a year old, eyes green as emeralds, and unruly hair, black as midnight. But what surprised her was the glowing blood red lightning scar in the middle of his forehead.___

_The baby, sensing that there was someone near him, calmed down and turned his green eyes towards her. She stared at those emerald eyes for a long time, the baby equally transfixed as her, when suddenly she heard a very familiar voice, the voice of Labyrinth.___

_"Well done, my child. You have found him. Now you know what you must do to get to him."___

She woke up suddenly, feeling very confused, one thought plaguing her mind, "What is it that I need to do in order to get to him?" 

Jareth was sitting in the throne room talking to Sarah, who was very concerned "Now she wants to call the engagement off, but who is going to tell him?" 

A grin formed in his mouth, when he said "Don't worry, I will. You have no idea how long I have been waiting for this. I only accepted Valkor because Cari seemed so taken with him. It will be my pleasure to give him the bad news." 

Suddenly, a flash of light invaded the throne room, and three figures were standing were the light was moments before. King Oberon, Queen Seana and King Poe looked expectant at the Goblin King and Queen. 

Jareth looked at their direction, and standing up he said, "Ah, I'm glad you are here. There are some matters we need to discuss. My daughter has called off the engagement." 

Seana looked at the Goblin King and said "But she cannot do that, as you well know. Why does she want to call off the engagement?" 

Motioning for them to follow him, he said "I think is best if we discuss this in a more private atmosphere. Let's move this conversation to my private study.", and taking Sarah by the hand he lead the other royals to the private quarters. 

Once his guests were sitting down, Jareth explained, "Lord Valkor is not what he appears to be. He was very smart in his web of deception. It never occured to me before, but my daughter just learned that Valkor is a Dark Lord. When she said that I remembered hearing about Valkor the Dark, and evil wizard that with his followers killed many wizards and regular people, muggles, I think they call them, as well. I'm afraid that if this union is to be allowed, the Underground will be next." 

A thick silence followed his words. No one spoke or moved until Oberon sighed, and said "Has Valkor agreed to call the engagement off?" 

Jareth narrowed his eyes at his older brother and said "No, he doesn't even know about it. I just talked to you as soon as Cari announced that she was calling it off. Why you ask?" 

Poe, being always the mediator, decided to step in, "You see Jareth, the engagement can only be called off if both parties agree. I think is best to let Valkor know and then see what happens. He might not even want to marry her anymore." 

Jareth's eyebrow raised as he felt a familiar presence appear in the throne room, "Speaking of the devil, he's here." 

Jareth stood up, and walked out of his study into the throne room, where Valkor was expecting him. 

Valkor turned around, to see the Goblin King entering the room, "Ah, Your Majesty. Good day. I was wondering where everybody was." 

Not showing any signs of emotion, Jareth simply sat on his throne, and regarding his former future son-in-law with a cold stare, said icily "I'm afraid that there is a slight problem. My daughter wants to call off the engagement." 

Valkor's face just showed pure shock, then anger. Only one word escaped his lips, making sure anybody that was in a mile radius heard it, "WHAT?" 

His shout traveled through the whole castle, Caridwen winced as she heard it, and transported herself to the entrance of the throne room, where she saw her mother, her uncle, the Queen of the Merpeople, and the King of the Centaurs, looking in to whatever was happening inside the room. 

Caridwen whispered softly to the group, "What is going on?" 

Oberon turned around, and looking at his niece, he simply said with an amused face, "Your father is giving your fiancé the bad news." 

Widening her eyes, she just simply said "Oh." 

Talking to the rest of the group, Oberon said, "Excuse me, but I think this young lady needs to see what is going on." 

Everybody turned to look at Caridwen, and giving her a sympathetic smile, made room for her so she could see first hand what was happening between her father and Valkor. 

Jareth gave him a cruel smirk, oh he was really enjoying this, and said "Seems that Caridwen just found out what kind of man you really are, Valkor. You should know by now that engaging in the dark arts is a big no-no in this family. It has been brought to our attention that the identity of the Dark Lord that has been terrorizing the wizarding world has finally come to surface. You could imagine our surprise when the name that came up was yours." 

Valkor's face now showed pure hatred and anger. His once blue eyes were glowing a bright red, his face turning the same color as well. 

"YOU CANNOT CALL OFF THE ENGAGEMENT! I REFUSE!" 

Very calmly, the Goblin King stood up and paced around the dark wizard, while saying, "I understand your position, but I am generous, so I'll offer you a deal." 

Half closing his eyes, Valkor crossed his arms in front of him, never letting the fae King out of his sight. Curiosity took over him and he asked, "Go on, I'm listening." 

A malicious grin was crossing Jareth's face when his mismatched gaze froze on the wizard, while he said, "You will have thirteen hours to traverse my labyrinth and get to Caridwen. If you win, I'll agree to you marrying my daughter." 

With a death glare, Valkor asked the King, his voice as cold as his stare, "And what if I lose?" 

With a triumphant look on his face, Jareth finished his offer, "If you lose, the engagement is off and you are banished from the Underground forever. Oh, and one more thing, no magic. As soon as you use magic, you forfeit the game. Do you accept?" 

Pride overriding reason, he smiled smugly and said "You have a deal, but before we start, can I speak to Caridwen?" 

Before Jareth could respond, he saw that his daughter was observing everything from the entrance, and nodded at him. 

"What do you want, Valkor?", said Caridwen, who silently crept behind him. 

Turning around, startled, he saw the girl he was supposed to marry and smiled at her. He stepped closer, and saw that she did not move an inch. This girl was not afraid of him. He liked that, she will make an excellent wife. 

Taking her hand in his, he just said "I just wanted something to look forward to when I claim you, and believe me, I will." 

He kissed the back of her hand very gently, and then, pulled her very close to him, giving her a very deep, passionate kiss. He gave her an amused grin as he saw the confusion in her face when he pulled back from the kiss. 

Smiling smugly, he then turned around to the furious face of the Goblin King and said, "I'm ready, let's go." 

With a flick of his wrist, Jareth and Valkor started vanishing from the throne room, leaving a very pissed off Caridwen behind. 

As soon as she saw them start to vanish, Caridwen screamed, "I swear, Valkor, if my father doesn't kill you I will!" 

Valkor just gave a chuckle, and threw a kiss at her before disappearing completely, knowing that gesture will infuriate her even more. 

As soon as the two figures left, the silent spectators went into the room, observing the furious princess, who turned to her mother and said, "How dared he kiss me! He is deader than dead. Wait until I get my hands on him." 

Her uncle, trying to get her calmed down and out of her angry state, put his arms around her, and asked conspiratorially, "So, was he any good?" 

That must have done the trick, because she just flustered, and said to him "Uncle Obi!" 

Oberon just raised an eyebrow, amusement written all over his face, and said "Well?" 

Caridwen just sighed, and said "He was good, no, better than good, no, scratch that. Oh, who am I kidding? He was fantastic!" 

Putting her hands on her face, she continued, "Gods, how I hate him! Are you happy now?" 

The King of the Fae just gave his niece a kiss on her forehead, and said "Yes, now that you stopped ranting like a lunatic.", making his niece smile. 

Jareth and Valkor were on a sandy hill, a dried tree behind them. The sun was making everything turn into its orange colors, but giving an impressive view of the labyrinth. 

Valkor could hear ticking behind him, and turning around, saw that Jareth was dressed now in all black, but instead of wearing the usual shirt and vest he was wearing a shirt with a breastplate and a black cape with midnight blue in the inside. 

Pointing to the clock, Jareth gave the customary instructions, "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the labyrinth, before you are banished from the Underground forever." 

Giving Valkor a mocking smile while he vanished slowly, he finished, "Such a pity… not!" 

A mocking laugh was all that was left when the Goblin King could not be seen any longer. 

Valkor turned to face the labyrinth, and muttering, "Show off!", proceeded to go downhill to the labyrinth. 

He was trying to find his way in, when he saw one of Caridwen's "uncles". 

The dwarf turned to face him, and rolling his eyes said "Great! What do you want?" 

Still looking around for an entrance, he asked the dwarf, "Hoggle, how do I get in?" 

The dwarf, who was told why Valkor was running the labyrinth, answered in an angry tone, "Cor! Let's get one thing straight. If this wasn't part of my job, I would help you nothing. You gets in there.", pointing to a set of doors opening in front of them. 

Valkor looked impressed, this doors were not there before, and he could not even see it with his fae senses. He got through the doors, and jumped at the sound of the doors closing right behind him. He looked to both sides, left or right? 

He had learned from walking through with Caridwen that things are not always what they seem in here, so he decided to go straight. As he thought, he was in another corridor, cleverly hidden as just wall. He then decided to go left, where he got to another corridor, all made out of stone. 

He kept going through the stone maze, when he faced a dead end. Damn! He will have to go back and retrace his steps. He was clearly not seeing where he was going, because he just crashed into a wall. 

Wait! Didn't he came in this way? He turned around to see two doors with some funny fellows guarding them. He remembered, Caridwen mentioning them once. Alph with Jim and Ralph with Tim. He sighed and went towards them. 

Caridwen had also mentioned their riddle, and he thought he had figured it out, but to humor them, he let them go with their routine. 

Jim started, "As you can see, you have to go through one of this doors." 

Tim continued, "One of them leads to the castle, and the other one leads to…" 

Ralph drum rolled "Ba ba ba bum!" 

Tim followed, "certain death!" 

All of them went, "Oooohh!" 

Valkor decided that the sooner this charade finishes, the sooner he can go on his way, so he said "Which is which?" 

Jim said "We can't tell you." 

Tim replied "But they do.", looking up at Alph and Ralph. 

Alph started, "You can only ask one of us." 

Ralph interrupted "Is in the rules. One of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies. He always lies." 

Alph said undignified, "I do not! I tell the truth!" 

Ralph said amused, "Oh, what a lie!" 

Valkor smirked, and decided to prove his theory. 

He walked to Alph, and asked, "Answer yes or no. Are you a donkey?" 

Confusion was written all over Alph's face for the odd question and he said "Huh?", then remembering that Valkor was still waiting for the answer he said, "Yes." 

Valkor was smiling now, "That means that you lie, so I can ask both of you. Besides, none of you said that I couldn't ask more than one question." 

Disbelief could be seen now in Alph's face when he started "But, but…" 

Valkor continued smugly towards Ralph, and said "Does this door lead to the castle?" 

Ralph just gave a resigned sigh and shaking his head said "No." 

Valkor went through the other door, and said before leaving "Thanks, boys." 

The door closed behind him, and Alph said to Ralph, "That was a close one." 

Ralph said "Yes, for a second I thought that he was going to ask me the same question and discover we all lie, and that none of the doors lead to the castle, or to certain death. He is going to be pretty mad when he ends at the beginning of the labyrinth, don't you think?" 

At that point, all four of them erupted in laughter. 

Valkor kept walking through the corridor, when he stopped in front of a set of doors. The doors looked very familiar. Looking around, he noticed that the corridor he was in disappeared, and looking left and right of the doors looked familiar. 

He was back at the beginning, he was really furious now, four hours wasted, "Damn you, Jareth!" 

His back facing the doors, he decided to turn left, and look for the next hidden entrance. He found one not far away, and turned right. He came back to the stone maze, but this time he advanced without any further problems until he arrived to the hedge maze. 

As soon as he entered the hedge maze, he passed next to the stone chair where Morath and Pepe usually greet those traversing the labyrinth, but this time it was empty. Instead of having the different entrances to different corridors, he encountered one single exit, with something carved in a stone plaque next to the frame that said: 

_"Enter traveler, and take heed,_   
_Nothing here is what it seems._   
_Sometimes forwards is the way back,_   
_But one of your senses you need to lack."_

Valkor stood looking at the plaque, trying to make sense of what it was saying. 

Feeling that he was wasting precious time, he continued through the corridor, making sure he memorized that little poem first. He was sure there was some clue there as to how to pass this challenge. Now, if he could figure what the challenge was? 

He continued through the corridor, seeing the castle in the distance. He continued walking, there were no turns or entrances, just the corridor. He kept walking on for 2 hours, and when he looked up, the castle seemed as far as when he entered that corridor in the first place. 

Frowning, he turned around to see how far he had been going, when to his surprise, the entrance arch was about 100 feet from where he was standing. He couldn't understand it. He was sure that he was moving through the corridor. Well, he would have to go back and try something else. 

He started walking towards the entrance, when he noticed that he was not making progress at all. He kept walking, but no matter how much he walked, the entrance was at the same distance as when he turned around. 

Great! Now he was stuck in there. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and thought of the words at the entrance. With a hand on his chin, he frowned trying to remember the words, "Hmmmmm.... Sometimes forwards is the way back.... Let's try it." He then turned around to the corridor, with his back to the entrance, and started walking backwards. 

By looking at the corridor, it seemed that he was making progress. He kept walking backwards, but then he frowned, he should've made it to the arch by now. Turning around again, he saw that the arch was still at the same distance. Damn it all! Now what? 

He turned back again to remember the words in the plaque, "Sometimes forwards is the way back. Tried it, and it didn't work. What else it said? But one of your senses you need to lack. Is not like I can get rid of any of them, unless... That's it! I've only being doing it half right!" 

Turning his back again to the arch entrance, he made sure he had his eyes closed this time, and started walking backwards, guiding himself with his hands at both ends of the corridor. 

He kept walking like that for about half an hour, when he noticed that the walls felt different. The walls felt like stone, not plant life, and the floor felt softer, not hard as rock. 

He ventured to open one eye, and noticed that he was in a different place altogether. The floor was made of grass, and the walls were made out of stone. And an exit could be seen not far away. He smiled. He would win this. 

He had been held up for too long. He had less than three hours to make it to the castle. It was going to be close, but he was confident that he was going to make it. Valkor kept walking along the narrow corridor, when it opened up to open land. Not just any open land, farmland, non the less. 

There were various trees with ripe fruit on them, ready to be picked up. And these were no ordinary trees, either. This was a plantation of peaches. Each luscious peach hanging precariously from their perch in waiting for someone to pick them and eat them. 

At that moment, Valkor realized he was hungry, so with a shrug, he decided to eat some of the peaches. Is not like anyone will miss one or two peaches from thousands. 

Meanwhile, in the castle, the Goblin Sovereigns were watching Valkor attentively through a crystal. They watched him as he approached the peach farm, and started picking up peaches. Sarah looked at her husband with an amused expression and said, "Why do I have a feeling that Valkor is not going to look good in a white dress?" 

Arching an eyebrow, the Goblin King looked at his wife, a smirk spreading through thin lips, when he responded, "Ah, but I'm afraid is not me he will have to look for." 

Caridwen looked at her parents, not liking the turn the conversation was taking. She immediately spoke, "Don't look at me. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore." 

Looking at his daughter, he said, "We are doing this for you, my dear. The least you could do is to cooperate." 

Caridwen sighed and said, "Fine. Send me to the ballroom. I'll plan something while I'm waiting there." 

With a fancy flick of his wrist, Jareth produced a crystal, and quickly turning to his daughter, said "Catch!" 

Not giving her time to think, Caridwen just stood frozen while catching the crystal in her hands, the throne room dissipating and reforming itself into a white ballroom, with lots of dancers wearing ornately masks all around her. She also noticed that the walls were like mirrors, and she looked at herself. 

She was wearing a deep purple dress made of silk, with puffy sleeves, but leaving her shoulders uncovered. Her hair was curled, being kept out of her face by a diamond and amethyst tiara, with matching earrings. Her amethyst pendant glowed brilliantly against her skin. Her make up was skillfully applied, in purple and pink. She looked absolutely gorgeous. 

Arching an eyebrow, with a smile on her lips, she murmured, "Not a bad job, Dad." 

Inside her mind, she heard a chuckle, and her father's voice saying "You're welcome. He is about to eat the peach, so I suggest you decide what you are going to do." 

Her face turning a serious expression, she nodded, and proceeded to plan what would be her course of action once Valkor entered the ballroom. 

After taking some peaches, Valkor looked around to see how far from the castle he was. Smiling, he noticed that the castle was closer than he thought. Great, this meant he could take time to rest, and move on. Back against the stone wall, he slumped into the floor, smoothing a peach against his sleeve. 

Biting into it, he never noticed anything was amiss until he swallowed, a strange aftertaste lingering in his mouth. Looking at the peach, he realized he was looking at two peaches. He was seeing double. And everything was starting to spin out of control. 

A drugged peach! This is just what he needed. It would be difficult to get to.... where did he needed to go? He shook his head , trying to remember. Nothing came to mind. It mustn't be important then, if he can't remember. 

Looking up, he saw some transparent spheres floating above him, "Ooohhh, bubbles!" Lifting his hand to touch them, they disappeared as soon as they reached his fingers, making him disappear as well. 

The next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a masquerade ball. People in ornate masks were dancing, or talking all around him. He started looking for someone, not sure who, but he knew that she would be there. 

He frowned. How did he know he was looking for a female? "Nevermind that, just keep looking"., he ordered himself. The corner of his eye caught a glimpse of amethyst, and he turned to that place. The most breathtaking creature he has ever seen in his life was standing there. 

Making his way towards her, she disappeared as soon as he took his eyes off here for a few seconds. Where did she go? He started searching for her all over, not being able to find her. 

Turning around in disappointment, he suddenly saw her, looking at him. Her expression was cold, but there was something in her eyes, he could not tell what. He made his way towards her, not taking his eyes off her, in fear that she would disappear like so many times before. 

Taking her hand in his, he kissed the back of it, saying, "Milady, may I have this dance?" 

She nodded, and he took her in his arms. He could not believe his luck. This vision was actually dancing with him. With him! Suddenly, he noticed the sad expression in her eyes, and frowning with concern, he asked, "Is there something troubling you, Milady?" 

Caridwen turned her gaze to wards Valkor, thinking "Yeah, how can you be so evil, yet so tender like this? Is times like this that makes my decision so difficult.", but simply answered, "No, why you ask?" 

He looked at her, "Is your eyes, Milady. They look so sad. I only wish to make them happy." 

Giving him a smile as sad as her eyes, Caridwen said, "There is nothing you can do to make me happy again." 

Suddenly, the clock struck twelve. Valkor's gaze went to the clock, then to the girl in his arms. Giving her a devilish grin, he said, "Not bad of a distracting job, but it wasn't good enough. I'll see you at the castle. You just let me get closer to the castle than I could have possibly done by myself. Good-bye, beloved." 

He then took her in his arms, and gave her another searing kiss. Running towards one of the mirror walls, Valkor took a small table in his hands. Turning around he said, "You'll be mine in an hour, beloved. See you soon.", and he smashed the small table against the walls, making everything collapse in glitter and glass. 

Caridwen re-appeared in the throne room, face flushed in a mixture of embarrassment and anger, "That bastard! He knew what he was doing when he ate the peach! He figured he could advance more doing the ballroom than having to walk! And why does he have to be such a damned good kisser? I hate him!" 

Oberon just looked at his niece and rolled his eyes. Here we go again. Putting his arms around her, he said, "Come on, calm down. You need to get your wits together. He is coming to the castle, to you, and you know what that means." 

Looking at her uncle, she took a deep breath and nodded. Still wearing her ballroom dress, she turned toward her parents, and said, 'I will go to the Escher room, but no way I'm going to be going around there in a dress. Sorry father, but I guess I need practicality if I want to win this." 

Flipping her hands, her dress changed to a pair of black tights, mid-thigh black leather boots, and a deep purple poet's blouse. A wide black pirate's belt at her waist. Her amethyst pendant could be seen through her modestly open lace neckline. 

Jareth nodded to his daughter in approval, and bowing, said, "I better get prepared for my confrontation. Hopefully, I'll see you later." 

Going to the Escher room, she took her place lounging in some of the steps. Producing a crystal, she said, "Show me Valkor." 

The crystal showed Valkor trying to get pass Humongous. She was sure that he could make it, but at least, it will kill time, and that was what counts. Less than an hour to go, and she could be free, or tied to one of the most evil wizards of all time. 

The goblin army was standing ready throughout the Goblin City to ambush Valkor as soon as he stepped inside the city. She produced a clock, less than thirty minutes to go. Valkor just made it pass the robot guard, and was making his way through the city. Twenty minutes to go. 

The goblins were not the best army in the world, but they were not that bad, once they set up their minds to their job. They kept Valkor distracted, but not for long. He was at the doors of the castle. Ten minutes to go. 

He made his way to the throne room, everyone had left, leaving the place deserted. Valkor went through a corridor, not finding anything. Finally, he approached the entrance to the Escher room. Five minutes to go. 

Caridwen smiled, she had done something his father wouldn't have thought of. She put a door in the entrance of the Escher room which could be open only if you solved a riddle. It wasn't too difficult, but it would take time enough to ensure that he could not get to her on time. 

Valkor approached the entrance, and there was a sign in the door that said: 

_"In the other side awaits the prize you look for. But first, you must solve this for the door to open:___

_I am never quite what I appear to be._   
_Straight-forward I seem, but it's only skin deep,_   
_for mystery most often lies beneath my simple speech._   
_Sharpen your wits, open your eyes,_   
_look beyond my exteriors,_   
_read me backwards, forwards, upside down._   
_Think critically and answer the question..._   
_What am I?"_

He looked at the riddle, trying to find what the answer would be. He tried thinking, but his mind was drawing a blank. Damn! He did not have time for this. 

Softly, he held the wand that was hiding in his pocket, and whispered "Alohomora!", making the door open. 

Caridwen was surprised when the door opened. She thought the riddle would have detained him for a little longer. She looked at the clock. Two minutes. With a hand gesture, she made the clock disappear. 

She could hear Valkor saying, "Caridwen, I told you, you are going to be mine!" 

Caridwen put a mocking smile on her face, making her look like her father at that moment, while saying, "You have to get to me first!" 

Valkor was a bit dizzy, as he saw all seven perspectives of the room at the same time. He saw Caridwen turning a corner, so he followed as best as he could. Taking an exit, he found himself on the other side of his intended destination. 

"Things are not what they seem here, alright!", murmured a now pissed Valkor. 

The thirteen chimes started, music to Caridwen's ears. She kept walking with a smile on her face and mentally counting, "Five, six, seven..." 

She felt something tugging her arm, and Valkor's voice behind her "I've got you!" 

Caridwen turned around, her face in a horrified expression, while the thirteen hour clock gave its last two chimes, "No!" 

Tears were now crossing her face, while Valkor held her arms in his hands, an evil smile on his face, "I told you. You are mine, my sweet." 

She suddenly noticed that they were back in the throne room, along with her parents, Jay, King Oberon, Queen Seana and King Poe, all with furious expressions. 

Jareth spoke, "And where do you think you are going?" 

Valkor turned to the Goblin King, saying "I'm taking my bride with me, Your Majesty. I have decided not to wait, after all." 

With a cold expression, and a colder voice, the Fae spoke, "Stop! You cannot take her, Valkor." 

With a smug expression, the Goblin King continued, "Because you used magic, you just forfeit the game. The answer you gave to the door was not the right one. It opened because it did not had any choice, you just gave the opening spell." 

Caridwen, who was listening intently to her father, looked back at Valkor, and said, "What?! Let me go, now!" 

Valkor looked at her, Caridwen finally seeing him for what he truly was, his evil nature marring his features, eyes turning from blue to a glowing blood red, "No. You are mine, forever." 

Before Valkor could make any movement, Jareth made him vanish, putting a repelling charm in the Underground. Now Valkor would never be able to get to the Underground again. 

Collapsing to the floor, Caridwen sobbed, her hands hiding her face. Jareth and Sarah went to her, both of them holding her between them, trying to console her. 

Jareth transported them to her bedroom, magically changing her clothes into a nightgown, and tucking her in bed. Caridwen sitting in between her parents. 

Looking at her father, she said, "He is truly evil. He always was. How I could've been so blind to not see it before?" 

Giving her a kiss to her forehead, Jareth answered, "He probably used his Fae charm on you since you were a baby, or it was meant to be. We'll never know." 

Sarah gave a reassuring squeeze to her daughter's hand, and said, "Now you don't have to worry about him. You will not see him again." 

Caridwen closed her eyes, and said, "But what about when school starts again? I can't stay in the Underground forever. I have to go back." 

Jareth smiled, and said, "Don't worry. Hogwarts is the safest place to be once you are Aboveground. Now, go to sleep sweetheart." 

Caridwen smiled, and kissing her parents goodnight, she felt herself slipping into blissful darkness. 

Looking at his wife, Jareth said, "Come, love, she will be fine. She's under a sleeping spell. She will sleep dreamlessly until tomorrow." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Caridwen took a deep breath. Another year at Hogwarts. She smiled, knowing that she would see the friends she missed so much during the two months vacation. 

Feeling a pair of arms wrap behind her, she heard her father whisper, "Are you going to be alright, sweetheart?" 

Caridwen turned around and looked at both her parents, which seemed worried for her. She gave them a reassuring smile and nodded. 

Jareth felt better, this was the first smile she had in weeks, since the engagement was broken. Kings Oberon and Poe, along with Queen Seana, went before the High Council to report and testify of the events that occurred that day. The High Council had finally granted the absolution of the Goblin Princess' engagement. 

His silent reverie was broken by the sound of a voice saying, "Caridwen! Over here!" 

He turned to look with his daughter at the sound of the voice, recognizing his daughter's friends. 

Caridwen turned to look at her parents, saying "I have to go. They are waiting for me to get into the carriage. I'll send you an owl as soon as I get there, promise." 

Giving both her parents a kiss and a hug, she turned to walk towards her friends, trunk being levitated behind her. 

Sarah, holding her husband by the waist, said, "I just hope she'll be alright." Jareth wrapped his arms around his wife, and said, "Caridwen is a stronger person than many people think. She'll be fine." Giving his wife a quick peck on the lips, both of them disappeared back into the Underground. 

Caridwen smiled, her friends and fellow Griffindors were there. She hugged all of her friends, everyone expressing concern over her well being after the news of Valkor's identity. 

"Cari! I've missed you! How are you doing?", asked a very concerned Sylvia. 

Giving her friend a half-hearted smile, she said, "Fine, all things considered. I finally broke off the engagement." 

Matthew perked as soon as he heard this, and half laughing, she said, "No, Matt. I'm not ready yet." 

Giving her a smile, he said, "You can't blame a guy for trying, right?", making her smile in return. 

The trip back to Hogwarts went without any incident. Caridwen smiled, things looked to be back to normal, for a change. 

"Have you figured out this year how you are going to pass by your sister to brake the school rules?", Caridwen asked the Weasley twins. 

The previous year, their older sister had been hired to be the new Charms Professor, after professor Stardust retired. Trish had been in her last year when they started in Hogwarts. 

Last year was very difficult trying to think of Trish as a professor, and not as their friend. Now that they were in their fifth year, the only Weasleys left in Hogwarts as students were Susan, Paul and Robert. Even Peeves had been more sociable, been that Trish was the only person separate from the Bloody Baron that he listened to. 

Because of her professor status, Trish was able to thwart some of the pranks the Weasley twins had planned, but not all of them. This only meant that this year they had to get more cunning than ever before. 

The carriages finally made it to Hogwarts, where they went to the Great Hall and sat down at the Griffindor table, waiting for the new students to be sorted to come in. They spent their time greeting old faces from their house which they have not seen since the beginning of summer. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Caridwen gave a sigh, while trying to finish her last sentence of her transfiguration report. Paul and Robert came into the common room, rambunctiously as always, each one stopping on either side of Caridwen. 

"Are you finished? Come on, let's go. Is our first Hogsmeade weekend!", said a very excited Robert. 

"Everybody's waiting!", said Paul. 

Smiling, she closed her book, and put parchment and quill in her bag, "That's it. I'm done. Let's go, boys!" 

Both twins grinned at the same time. 

Paul put an arm around her, and said, "That's our girl! You are going to have a great time at Hogsmeade, you'll see!" 

Caridwen smiled, encouraged by her friends. 

All her friends were waiting for her downstairs. Caridwen noticed that some pairings had occured during the summer. John and Elena, Sylvia and Robert, and Jack & Susan. 

Paul seemed to be looking around for someone, when he smiled, and screamed, "Oi, Patty!". 

Turning to the friends, he said, "If you excuse me, I have a date with Miss O'Neil." 

Glancing nervously, that left her and Matt. Both of them had decided to go stag, but she knew he liked her, and now that she was free, she was afraid that he would try to court her. 

Matt smiled devilishly to her, "Your carriage awaits, Milady." 

Caridwen smiled, "Thank you, noble sir." 

That had been a joke of theirs since their first year. The trip to Hogsmeade went without incident. Caridwen was actually having a great time with her friends, forgetting her grief for Valkor. 

Suddenly, clouds of smoke could be seen everywhere. People started to run frantically, and in all the confusion, their group dispersed. 

Caridwen turned to Matt, "Matt, where are the others? What is going on?" 

Matt simply said, "I don't know, but I think is best if we go back to Hogwarts." 

Caridwen nodded, and made their way back to Hogwarts along with other students, looking for their friends along the way. 

Caridwen finally saw one of the Prefects, and asked, "Do you know what is going on?" 

The Prefect looked at her, and said, "The forces of Valkor the Dark are attacking Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. We need to go back to Hogwarts. Spread the word." 

Caridwen nodded, and kept telling any other students they found on their way. 

Caridwen could not help a feeling deep in her gut. Somehow, she knew this was her fault. If she would have accepted him, this would not have happened. Frowning, she came to a conclusion. She had to set things right, no matter at what cost to her. 

Reaching the castle, the professors were directing the arriving students where to go, "Fourth years and up, to the Great Hall! All others, down to the dungeons. Move, now!"   


Once the older students were in the Great Hall, the Headmistress spoke, "Because you are the older students, you are able to perform spells better than the younger ones. Our school is being attacked by the forces of Valkor the Dark, and we need everyone's help if we are going to defeat them. Go to your houses, you will receive further instructions there." 

The battle had become fearsome. They had been fighting non stop for two weeks, but seemed that the Dark Lord's forces were dwindling. Caridwen and the other fifth year Griffindors were doing repelling charms when a shout broke out, "The Dark Lord himself in in the castle's grounds. Be prepared to be invaded!" 

Looking at her friends, she said "I have to go." 

Everyone nodded in agreement, not before telling her to be careful and to take care of herself. Caridwen went down the stairs, to the front doors, where she saw various professors defending the entrance of the school. 

The battle was turning serious now, death curses flowing like water. Looking for Valkor, she saw a green light touch one of the professors, when she realized who it was. 

Horrified, she screamed, "Trish, no!", and went hurriedly to her side. 

Once she got there, it was too late. Her friend and later on professor was dead. How many more would have to die because of her? With determination, she looked for Valkor, not caring who she came upon to get to him. She finally found him, next to the Headmistress' lifeless body. 

With courage and determination, she narrowed her eyes, and said to him out loud, "Valkor!" 

The dark lord turned to the sound of the voice, and smiled, "Ah, beloved. We meet again. Are you ready to become mine once and for all?" 

With a fire that came from within, she responded, "Never! Give up, Valkor. You are finished. Your forces are gone." 

She saw that Valkor was preparing himself to attack, and with an energy she did not know she possessed, pointed her wand at him, and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!", a flash of green light coming out of her wand towards the Dark Lord. 

Knowing that death was unavoidable now, he pointed his wand towards her, shouting, "You will not get away so easily! Absum Corpus!", a flash of red moving quickly to Caridwen's direction. 

After saying this, Valkor was enveloped by the green light, feeling his life slipping away, not before hearing Caridwen's blood curling scream. 

Caridwen was enveloped in a red light at the same time that Valkor had been hit with the death curse. She felt like her soul was being ripped away from her body, the pain unbearable, making her scream in agony until Darkness claimed her. 

Caridwen awoke, feeling light headed, with fuzzy memories of the last hour. She shook her head, and saw that Valkor's body was still laying on the floor, his eyes still open. 

Going to his side, she said, "I guess this is goodbye." 

Turning around, she saw her friends gathered around Trish, no, Professor Weasley's body, being mourned by her three younger siblings. 

She went to her friends, when she heard John say, "And there is no body? They say that there is a black spot on the ground where she stood last. I can't believe Cari is gone. She sacrificed herself to save all of us." 

Caridwen frowned at John's words, "But I'm right here, John. Don't be silly." 

When she lifted her hand to pat him on the shoulder, she noticed something strange. Her hand was grayish and transparent. Realization of what must have happened hit her suddenly. She tried to touch her friends to no avail, her hands passing right through them. 

Feeling the urge to cry, but no tears coming out, she screamed to her friends, "But I'm right here! Right in front of you! Can you hear me? Can anyone see me? Silvia? Elena? Matt? Anyone?" 

Despair filled her, as she realized none of her friends was able to see or hear her. 

"Is no use. They will never be able to see or hear you, Cari.", a voice said right behind her. 

Turning around, she said, "Nick? You can see me?" 

Giving her a smile, he put his arms around her, comforting her, saying, "Of course I can see you. I also am a ghost. All the other ghosts can see you. The living, now that is a different story." 

Looking back at Trish's body, she said "I could not save her. I was too late. This is all my fault." 

Nearly headless Nick looked at the young ghost, and said knowingly, "I don't think she shares your same opinion, young Griffindor. Look.", pointing forwards. 

She could not believe what she saw. There stood Peeves, with Trish next to him. Her expression was not sad, but loving, as she was looking at Peeves direction. Looked like Trish fancied the poltergeist after all, and now they were together for all eternity. 

A sad chuckle came out of her, saying "Fancy that! Peeves and Trish were an item after all!" 

Offering his arm, Nick said, "Come, there is much for you to learn. I believe this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendhip." 

Smiling, Cari took the arm that Nick offered, and said, "I sure hope so, Nick." 

As they floated together towards the castle, Cari had a growing sensation that this would not be the end, but just the beginning of a new adventure.   
  
  


Finis (for now) 

________________________ 

**A/N:** Ok, people, this is the moment of truth. What do you really think? Let me know with your reviews. It is your way of letting me know if I'm doing a good job or if this sucks. I guess I'll see you in the second series..... Oh, and if anyone wants to know, the answer to the riddle that Valkor never solved is... a riddle! Ironic, considering that Riddle is his last name..... 

Please leave a contribution in the little box. 


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